We have been featuring the artistry of Alutepena Hughes-John for quite some time, with her releases as Lethia’s Natorium, so when we found out that Pena was back with a single titled, Platonic, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to listen and share our experience.
Setting the tone with an intricate bassline and strummed Ukulele melody with textured drums and astral vocals, Alutepena Hughes-John opens Platonic with an ethereal performance and metaphorical, yet situational prose.
The opus, which was first written in 2008, expands with narrative-based lyricism as Alutepena Hughes-John shares her philosophical nature and exquisite range with a relatable tale of unrequited love. We deeply connect with the high emotional quotient of the song, and the vulnerable message.
The middle eight takes on a more subversive edge, as Alutepena Hughes-John showcases her British accent with a thought-provoking, spoken word delivery and cosmic harmonies before a dreamy, final reprise and cerebral outro.
We learn that Pena’s influences include many of the 2-Tone bands such as The Selector, Madness, The Specials as well as Blondie, Kate Bush, Garbage, Tori Amos and Skunk Anansie. Speaking on the construction of the track, Pena confesses, “I grew up listening to a lot of 2-Tone and its influence has brushed off onto this song. It does have little bits of Rhoda Dakka (The Body Snatchers), Madness, The Selectors and The Specials. It wasn’t intentional when it was recorded (this song was recorded twice previously which was more of an 80s rock). My playing the Ukulele on this version swayed the song into a nostalgic 2-Tone feel to it.”
We appreciate Alutepena Hughes-John‘s authentic approach to songwriting, and the depth of Platonic inspires a sense of catharsis for both artist and listener. We love the soft and cerebral approach to the sound design, and have added Platonic to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream Alutepena Hughes-John‘s wider discography, including all of her releases under the moniker, Lethia’s Natorium.