Sweet Lights, ‘A Hundred Needle Pins’

Shai Halperin has already enjoyed considerable acclaim under his previous moniker, the Capitol Years. His earlier albums earned him tours opening for and playing with an impressive cast of musicians, including the Walkmen, the Pixies, Daniel Johnston and Kurt Vile. Sweet Lights builds on his already considerable success and delivers on big expectations. 'Sweet Lights, Sweet Lights,' his debut album with the new project, is out today, and Halperin generously shares the track 'A Hundred Needle Pins' for free download.

'A Hundred Needle Pins' has a timeless pop quality that makes it instantly palatable but even more rewarding on repeat listens. The melody has a distinctly John Lennon-style flair (or is that Paul Simon? Jon Brion?) that makes the tune feel masterfully crafted.

"For 'A Hundred Needle Pins,' I wanted to use this 'not, not, not' section I came up with long ago," Halperin tells Diffuser.fm. "It seemed Lou Reed-like at the time, but when fleshing out the song, I stumbled upon an Andalusian cadence which maintained tension yet still resolved. It made the tonal system a bit more interesting, for me at least. And of course the song is about drugs."

Of course. Whatever drug this song is about, we want some. Grab 'A Hundred Needle Pins' below.