With a love for movies and their soundtracks, Skylight Motion Picture aims to make music that moves people while making people move. Since the launch of their self-titled debut EP in 2017, they’ve continued to explore various musical genres and nostalgic influences to make each collection of songs feel different than previous releases. Their debut LP, The Sonic Relocation and Transformational Reverberation of the Spirit, contained over three years of material and was released in 2020.
Their follow up album, Music From the Film, was released in February. With this album, chief songwriter and producer Ezekiel Hampton sought to pay homage to much of the ‘bedroom pop’ music that shaped him in early adulthood. He utilizes 80’s synths and orchestral instrumentation. That being said, the formula of building on infectious hooks with rich harmonies has not changed. All lyrics to the album revolve around two themes: moving forward after being emotionally unprepared for a broken heart and spiritual evolution born out of the ashes of religious culture.
Music From the Film consists of 13 electro-pop songs that clearly exemplify Ezekiel’s ear for sound and sounds of the past. The album is bookend by “Opening Titles,” which sets the mood for the album and sets the expectation that this is no ordinary album, and “Roll Credits,” which wraps up the album in a nice bow giving the listener a sense of closure from the emotional journey they just took.
The other 11 songs speak on the deep growth and strength in themes of moving past heartbreak and religious culture. “Avalon” uses satirical lyrics to symbolize the words of the church that stuck with Ezekiel into adulthood against a surprisingly fun and upbeat synthetic tempo and melody. The juxtaposition of the lyrics saying one thing and the music saying another is the epitome of Zeke’s religious upbringing. “Errant Son” is about questioning that religious upbringing and really magnifying what his relationship with God is and how it’s evolved through adolescence. This track has more classic instrumental sounds like a piano and strings, but keeps the swirling synthetic sounds. What the more classical sound does is ground the listener in the seriousness of the song and shows the contemplation of what Zeke’s relationship with religion and God is.
“Captured” has a video game style opening to it, almost pac-man like, and really takes the listener back to the 80’s. The vocals are softer as he sings about the past catching up with us, no matter how far or fast we run from it. He sings “find the truth that won’t sound funny” followed by what sounds to be “Opening Titles” to wrap up the song. This act not only takes us back to a previous song, but also subtly reminds us that the past makes us who we are, as the previous song informs “Captured.” “Self-Fulfilling Prophecies” starts with space-like swirling synths and goes into more of an electro pop rock song when the vocals come in. It’s fast paced and upbeat, blending the guitars with the synthetic beat. Featuring Thomas Brady Lee and Ian Cowell, they sings about giving into our fears then calling it destiny or fate, when in fact we really just don’t want to face the pain. The dreamlike song, “Doors in Dreams,” is a lullaby that asks questions but doesn’t receive answers. The music tricks us into thinking there is resolve because of the nice finish, but the lyrics say that it’s okay to have no resolve. It’s magical, ethereal, and erratic all wrapped up in one.
Those are just a few of the songs on Music From the Film, feel free to listen for yourself and create your own opinions on meaning.
“I wanted to write an album that paid homage to the era of music I was engulfed in at the peak of my musical discovery,” shares Ezekiel. “It was important for me that the sound of “Music From The Film” should indicate the vulnerability and emotion contained in the lyrics. This is why there is a departure from the previous releases filled mostly with atmospheric synths in place of a more gentle array of piano, woodwinds, strings, and bells.”
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