New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, Bright Light Bright Light (the performance alias of Welsh international pop star Rod Thomas) releases his latest dancefloor-ready gem "It's Alright, It's OK", further building excitement and anticipation for the
September 18th release of his latest album 'Fun City' (via his own label YSKWN!, in partnership with Megaforce Records and The Orchard). It features vocal assistance by Montreal indie-pop trio Caveboy and the track's title serves as a not-so-subtle nod to Whitney Houston's iconic timeless hit "
It's Not Right But It's Okay".
"Caveboy are my favourite music discovery this year, and as three inspiring queer women, I thought they'd be an amazing fit for the song and its ethos," said Rod about the collaboration.
"It's Alright, It's OK" channels the LGBTQ+ community's ongoing quest for societal respect, equality and self-identity, while being sonically inspired the small queer clubs on London. "I was in the studio with Babydaddy of
Scissor Sisters and we wanted to make something that would make us dance, and as we were building the sounds it started to remind me of Ghetto, a queer club in London that is long gone, but where
Scissor Sisters songs were blasted in a tiny basement club where anyone and everyone under the LGBTQ+ umbrella used to go," said Rod about the spiritual inspiration behind the track. "It makes me feel so at home so I ended up writing the lyrics about identity, belonging, and the fight to free yourself from being put into a box. The lyrics nod to Silence = Death and the LGBTQ+ struggle through time against prejudice and lazy labelling, and the title obviously nods to Whitney Houston's "
It's Not Right But It's Okay" (specifically the Thunderpuss remix)."
Also out today are a handful of remixes for the track, showcasing the versatility of the source material. Included are his own "Pool Side
Disco Mix" (perfectly crafted for a Fire Island summer party), the "YSKWN! Throwback Mix" (reworked as an underground club bop), a spacey remix by UK critical darlings NIMMO, and an industrial 80s vibe of a remix by Trouser Enthusiasts whose past credits include
Pet Shop Boys and Dannii Minogue.
It follows the celebrated releases of first advanced track "This Was My House", a prideful ode to queer safe spaces that Rolling Stone said features a "buoyant beat to dance through pain and trouble," the follow-up and smitten collaboration with Jake Shears, "Sensation" which Queerty said "channels 80s dance-pop as well as classic queer disco tunes by the likes of Sylvester," and "I Used To Be Cool", his irresistibly cheeky ode to cherishing your "15 minutes in the sun" which LOGO debuted on Instagram.
The vocals for 'Fun City' were recorded on the empty dancefloor of East Village gay club Bedlam, a choice Bright Light Bright Light made as a way to channel the energy of the queer trailblazers that influenced him like Sylvester, Erasure,
Scissor Sisters and Hercules & Love Affair. He hopes 'Fun City' will examine the ways marginalized people stay strong, focused and creative through times of social and political hardships. The album title itself is a historical reference to a quote said by NYC mayor John V.
Lindsay who on his first day in office in 1966, amidst a crippling transit strike, said "I still think it's a fun city."
The album boasts a veritable "who's who" of LGBTQ+ major-players and allies who serve as collaborators, including (in alphabetical order by first name)
Andy Bell (of Erasure), Big Dipper, Brendan MacLean, Caveboy, The Illustrious Blacks, Initial Talk, Jake Shears, Justin Vivian Bond, KAYE, Mark Gatiss, Niki
Haris & Donna De Lory, and Sam Sparro.
Bright Light Bright Light has been a staple of the international LGBTQ+ music scene for over ten years, having released three prior albums and touring as both a solo artist and as support alongside pop royalty like Elton John, Cher, Erasure,
Ellie Goulding and Scissor Sisters. He also collaborated with Elton on his 2016 banger "All In The Name" which he also performed with the music legend on The Graham Norton Show.
For the past four years he has curated, hosted and served as the DJ for regular afternoon dance parties (which he affectionately calls the "Romy & Michele's Saturday Afternoon Tea Dance") at Manhattan's Club Cumming and Brooklyn's C'Mon Everybody. Aside from using his music as a powerful platform for equality, he has also actively fundraised for The Trevor Project, Ali Forney Center, Hetrick-Martin Institute, ACLU, and
Elton John AIDS Foundation over the years.
'Fun City' Track Listing
1. "Touchy" (feat. Brendan MacLean)
2. "I Used To Be Cool"
3. "Sensation" (feat. Jake Shears)
4. "Good at Goodbyes" (feat. Andy Bell)
5. "You Make It So Easy Don't You" (feat. Sam Sparro)
6. "It's Alright It's Okay" (feat. Caveboy)
7. "This Was My House" (feat. Niki Haris, Donna De Lory & Initial Talk)
8. "Never be Lonely" (feat. KAYE)
9. "These Dreams" (feat. The Illustrious Blacks)
10. "
Love Song" (feat. Big Dipper)
11. "
Next To You" (feat. Mark Gatiss)
12. "Saying Goodbye Is Exhausting" (feat. Justin Vivian Bond)
