Lights, “PEP.”

If it’s true that it’s always darkest just before the dawn, the same might hold true for Lights Poxleitner-Bokan, known simply as Lights. The Canadian singer-songwriter experienced that darkness during the pandemic, and making PEP provided the roadmap back. Throughout her catalog, Lights has often reinvented herself in both image and sound, and her fifth studio effort is the most complete portrait of the singer to date. These 13 tracks fill the spectrum from moody and introspective to sarcastic and fun, and everywhere in between. Lights also got a little help from friends with a handful of well-placed cameos throughout the record.

The record begins with quiet urgency on atmospheric ballad “Beside Myself.” The track calls back to the singer’s Little Machines era in its production, slowly building from a strummed guitar to a driving melodic rock song. “Tell me it’s OK to not be alright,” Lights sings midway through the reflective track.

Lights then reunites with Twenty One Pilots drummer Josh Dun for the absolutely infectious grooves of “In My Head.”

The song is perfectly understated, with Dun laying down the beat as Lights delivers tongue-in-cheek lines about individuality, singing “Maybe I’m a loser, maybe love is dead, but I’m’a keep on dancing to the drum in my head.”

Most Lights Poxleitner-Bokan fans are well aware of  “Prodigal Daughter,” the lead single from PEP. The unexpected track takes her to places she’s never explored on record. It’s a divine fusion of a drum and bass pattern, with Lights singing a soul-inspired melody. Intentional or not, it gives the track a vintage-meets-modern aesthetic that comes alive from the speakers. The bluesy stomp sticks around on the mid-tempo “Salt and Vinegar,” another infectious track on which you’ll be bobbing your head.

Where PEP really excels is in Lights’ vocal nuance, making effective use of both the quiet and the loud. Lights calls on Kiesza for the electro-pop rhythms of “Money in the Bag.” Both singers’ voices complement each other nicely on the dynamic heist-themed track. It rises and falls from pulsing verses to the floor-rumbling half-time chorus, and it’s one of the highlights of the record. “Jaws,” meanwhile, feels like a Siberia-era synth ballad, as the singer bares her figurative teeth lyrically.

The pace slows for spacious ballad “Rent.” The chorus’ hook—”If you want to live in my head you gotta pay the expenses/ And honey you can’t afford what the rent is”—is quick and smart. Things turn more experimental on the bouncy “Sparky,” which bounces between a quiet and spacey verse and a vigorous chorus.

Lights recruited Elohim for melodic ballad “Real Thing,” which wouldn’t sound out of place on the singer’s earliest work, The Listening.

Poxleitner-Bokan then plays it cool on rhythmic, synth-soaked romp “Easy Money,” with the singer’s vocals doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. “Okay Okay” taps into an indie rock identity, with an upbeat guitar-based track that plays off synth accompaniment. “Voices Carry” begins as a somber synth-led track before blossoming into a classic-rock-influenced tune; this is certainly a song that should translate well in the live setting. The album closes on the dramatic “Grip,” a fitting footnote to the compelling journey.

PEP achieves its stated mission of “breaking the algorithm.” Lights Poxleitner-Bokan sounds more assured and confident in her abilities as musician and a songwriter. In a genre where it can be difficult to break new ground, PEP feels like something fresh. It’s a triumphant album that deserves to be taken in in totality, as a complete work.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.