“Shadow and the Light”, a fast-paced introspective track by LennyJ., was released in September of last year. Fast forward February 2024, and the music video, directed by Future Frame, has just been released. April 2024, Idobi Radio picks up “Shadow and the Light” on their Fresh Picks rotation. The video’s cinematic visuals gives us an immersive experience and allows a deeper insight into the song’s meaning. So let’s dive in.
First off, LennyJ has recently rebranded on Instagram as @songsforstadiums, a username that speaks to his drive and passion to create big songs whose melodies can fill entire stadiums. This track starts off with a wonderfully heavy rock intro where the instrumental aspects can really shine. Taking center stage with this big noise, the music video starts with aerial shots of Los Angeles and zeroing in on a pair of white Air Jordans, this music video wastes no time in showing us that we’re about to embark on a journey with LennyJ. However, as the music video takes us on a physical trip (through L.A., the California desert, and ultimately, to face ourselves and the shadow within), the track itself takes us on a far deeper path, exploring LennyJ.’s emotional state. As stated by the singer in a 2023 Instagram post, this is “a song about how I’ve purposely denied love from others because I fail to find love for myself.”With a chorus that calls to his beloved, “If you call my name, you would never have to be alone stranded / You won’t ever have to catch me red handed / Caught between the shadow and the light”, it’s apparent that LennyJ. has put his true emotions into this track, making for a brutally honest, remorseful, yet hopeful anthem.
On the topic of brutal honesty, my one critique for this song is I wish the vocals were more upfront. Yes, the drums and guitar are great, and definitely the defining feature of this track, but lyrics are introspective, clever, and catchy. Unfortunately, especially without headphones, it feels easy for them to get a little lost in the mix. Props to LennyJ. for writing, producing, engineering, mixing, and mastering this track himself, but there could be some slight tweaks. Apart from the lyrics, LennyJ.’s vocals are strong as well, and I feel like this track could be elevated by cranking up the focus on them just a little bit more, bringing the powerful words to the forefront of the song, rather than slightly behind the powerful instrumental. It is possible though, that I could be failing to realize that these lyrics were not created to be sung by just one artist, but rather to be echoed in a stadium full of passionate fans. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
LennyJ. can be found on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, as well as Spotify and Apple Music. Check him out and come along on his journey from playing intimate venues, to arenas one day, ultimately to the stadiums these songs were destined for.
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