We recently featured Pena Hughes-John’s as she teased her upcoming album, Lethia’s Natorium with high concept and self-referential single, Lullaby, so we were thrilled to hear the next composition from the evolving opus, Inner Child.
Immersing us immediately with an alternative meets glam-rock soundscape, Inner Child opens with a bold and vibrant energy as Pena sings powerfully, “Living life when we are bound by invisible chains, when we are conditioned to behave exactly the same…”
Speaking on the meaning of the song, Pena says, “All of us have an Inner Child but many of us lost this in favour of the mundane life: Go to work, get married, have children with our Inner Child (wonder, dreams and ambitions) shown the back door.”
We love the conscious and profound insight that Pena brings with her latest body of work, and it is clear that Lethia’s Natorium is not only full of catchy hooks and immersive soundscapes, but great wisdom.
Pena cites Siouxsie and the Banshees, Toyah, Blondie, No Doubt, Skunk Anansie and The Smiths as some of her inspirations, but it is clear that she is creating a universe of her own with Lethia’s Natorium.
The elements that made up the single were recorded at three different locations. The bare bones of the song were recorded at Pena’s house, where she laid down the basic Ukulele chords against a guide vocal. Next, this was given to (the ‘unofficial band member’), Josh, who is the owner of JGE Studios in Dorset, who laid down the guitars and bass against the basic drum loop provided by Pena. This was then taken over by Max, the producer at The Lodge Recording Studios, where the Ukulele chords were scrapped (as Josh’s guitar chords gave the song a much stronger feel). Max did a rough mix of the track in readiness of Karl to add his drums to.
We adore the final output, echoing dramatic vocals and epic guitar solo, and we are consistently mesmerized by Pena’s vocals and the journey that she takes us on. Inner Child has been added to our New Music Spotlight playlist and we continue streaming Lullaby! We are ready to break through the mundane and get through to our Inner Child thanks to Lethia’s Natorium!