Lightning Bug

New York-based Lightning Bug combine equal parts shoegaze texture, ethereal production, and dreamy electronics in a sound that recalls the early 4AD catalog while at the same time giving it a futuristic update. Led by vocalist and primary songwriter Audrey Kang, the band worked independently for a while, releasing their music more or less anonymously before stepping out to more fanfare with their 2019 album October Song and its 2021 follow-up A Color of the Sky.

Lightning Bug was formed in New York sometime around 2014 by Kang, enlisting the help of her friends Kevin Copeland and Logan Miley to help fill out her drifty dream pop creations. The band first surfaced in January of 2015 with some songs posted online, followed almost immediately by the quiet release of their debut album Floaters. Despite its meek introduction to the world, the album attracted a cult following and some positive press, leading to some live dates in the U.K. Two years later, the band released a four-song EP entitled the torment of love. After a long span of low-key releases and minimal exposure, Lightning Bug gained even more of an audience with their stunning 2019 album October Song, which received positive reviews and reached a wider audience than the band had previously managed. The album was initially released on small indie label Marbled Arm, and when Lightning Bug signed on with Fat Possum Records, they started their relationship with the new label by re-releasing the album to wider distribution. In advance of the re-release, the band issued new single "The Only Ones" in March of 2020, an outtake from the sessions that made up October Song. For their third album, the band set up in a makeshift home studio and expanded from a trio to include contributions from new members Dane Hagen and Vincent Puleo. The album, A Color of the Sky, was released in June of 2021. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi