EP Review: Diffusion by Ledlight

By: Stephen Wilkins

Originally published December 11, 2019, by Plasma Magazine 

Ledlight’s recent release, Diffusion Ep, is a hypnotic meditation with pulsing beats and otherworldly synthesizers, leaving the listener buried in a snow globe of ambient icicles. The Ep is an amalgamation of unreleased tracks “...either warm-ups or (tracks) that didn’t quite fit with the flow of the album (LP6)…”, which is still unreleased according to Ledlight’s Bandcamp.  Diffusion stands in stark contrast with Ledlight’s last release, Ctrl+V Ep, from 2017. While this release is definitely electronica it doesn’t have the same manic energy that gets your feet on the dance floor. Instead Diffusion feels much closer to the strange gray weather we’ve been experiencing lately. It’s like Autumn moving into Winter; slow, contemplative, and a reason to stay home and reflect on the year’s end.

Diffusion starts with slow melodic piano on “Never Let Me Go” and builds. By the time it reaches “Fizz” your head is bobbing as you watch the snow cover the landscape outside while you enjoy your hot chocolate under a mound of blankets. “Chill Cut” is when the world flips upside down and you realize you’ve been inside the snow globe the entire time. The Ep ends on an upbeat note as the globe lands safely and everything settles back to where it belongs. Overall Diffusion isn’t going to get you on the dance floor but it is just right for a nice hot drink, a blanket and a book. You can check out Diffusion as well as Ledlight’s other releases on Bandcamp and stay up to date on Facebook.