Brainchild of Australian musician, producer, visual artist and filmmaker James Cole, Seven Shades of Nothing is a dark and brooding project that just released the sophomore single “When the Lights Go Down”. The track follows the haunting debut “Wake Up” from earlier in the year and already shows James as a force to be reckoned with. Blending in alternative rock influences with synths that create an almost industrial atmosphere that never feels overwhelming, “When the Lights Go Down” draws from the likes of Ministry and Nine Inch Nails just as much as it does from Phil Collins.
On his second single James explores his own vulnerable experiences with autism and ADHD, resulting in him living most of his life feeling like an outsider. That sense of frustration and desperation can be felt all throughout the track’s gorgeous production choices, managing to capture a surprisingly hopeful view of such experiences. When James sings ‘It can be so beautiful when the lights go down and darkness fills the world‘, you know exactly what he means in a very deep and emotional level.
The track feels like the perfect illustration of a lifelong search for calmness and serenity, shaped by the trials and tribulations that come with not feeling like you fit in the world around you. There is a distinct sense of clarity on “When the Lights Go Down” that feels cathartic and inviting, as if finally giving voice to buried emotions and long forgotten daydreams.
“‘When the Lights Go Down’ began its life as a poem I wrote years ago”, the artist says. “I was in a dark place at the time, feeling betrayed by people in the film industry, weighed down by noise, ego, and disillusionment”, James comments before concluding on how the stars were always comforting to him but barely visible in the night sky of a big city.
James makes an incredible use of his background in film, crafting music that is cinematic and dynamic with rich textures and soothing melodies that evoke a sense of beauty like a lullaby. The second single taken from his upcoming album Two for Joy, “When the Lights Go Down” shows an artist with a very clear and well-defined vision matched only by how genuine and real the emotions are.
That can be thoroughly felt on its conceptual music video, filmed around Melbourne, portraying a lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Enhanced by AI, the video is an illustration of solitude that both highlights the struggles of the world as well as finding beauty and solace in the emptiness and darkness that surrounds him.
“When the Lights Go Down” is an excellent followup to “Wake Up”, showcasing James as an artist that knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s a song that never shies away from its own dark parts and still manages to bring forth an incancescent feeling of comfort and warmth. Backed by an unwavering sense of honesty to oneself, “When the Lights Go Down” makes us incredibly excited to see where James will go from here.
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There is a distinct sense of clarity on “When the Lights Go Down” by @7ShadesOfNothing.bsky.social that feels cathartic and inviting, as if finally giving voice to buried emotions and long forgotten daydreams.
Stream on Spotify NOW!
open.spotify.com/track/6b7iDQ…
— Jpgchief (@jpgchief.bsky.social) 25 de septiembre de 2025, 15:18
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