L. Mayland – Lighthouse Review

Another welcome voice to the ongoing rise of folk music in the UK, L. Mayland’s Lighthouse is an effective, tender understanding of just how lucky intimacy can be. The Last Dinner Party’s rhythm guitarist has enjoyed the highs and lows of a world tour with Prelude to Ecstasy, and for fans of the group, this solo project and lead single for The Slow Fires of Sleep will prove insightful and instrumentally wonderful. Lighthouse is a charming song, filled with the emotive demand we as listeners want from our favourite artists. There is no reason for them to give it to us, but Mayland does, and by doing so reflects on what it means to be comfortable. Come back to the beacon, the light in those fatigue-ridden, darker moments. What a voice, what a concept, Lighthouse is a touch of incredible form from Mayland.  

Brevity is key for Lighthouse. It leaves its mark and has the inevitably delicate hook of acoustic material. It is hard not to want more immediately, but the slow burn of releasing, the five-track EP to come, is worth waiting for. Muse on Lighthouse for the time being. A tremendous song which checks all the boxes of what folk music can be, will be, and should be. Moonlit days, the hyper specific details of an experience fondly remembered. Those moments which still define us can be picked up and ran with, the microscopic parts of a wider, evolving memory. Mayland gets to grips with this supremely well on Lighthouse not just with those hopes of being sought out by the reassuring spotlight but by pointing to those moments of odd comfort. Shot glasses and spilled drinks of history weave so nicely into the reassured feelings presented on Lighthouse.  

Clear is the emotion, the complete openness which makes the vulnerability the most powerful part. Lighthouse is a phenomenal achievement from an artist who is keen to share their personal experiences as a way of informing others in a similar situation. We often misconstrue acoustic guitar and string sections to be soppy, to bring on a maudlin sense to capture the tears of a listener. But Mayland shows how to go about these tones with real care. Rare it is now that an artist can put themselves so thoroughly on the line and share more than we first knew, such is the craze and madness of the spotlight, the always online, parasocial relationship some may have with influential figures. Credit to Maylan not just for stripping that away but finding a heady message while doing so.  

Lighthouse is tremendous. A delightful acoustic treat with an openness and heartfelt perspective. A fine addition to the booming folk rock commentaries found in music today. Mayland slips in as a natural of the folk music genre. Comfortable acoustics you can depend on but with a sense of purpose, a heartfelt and endearing message which never loses its shock, its sincerity. That is a hallmark of great folk music, and that is what Lighthouse is. All signs point to an essential EP from Mayland, though time will tell. As we wait for the full release, we can be assured by the warmth and moving openness of Lighthouse, a tremendous first solo song from The Last Dinner Party member.