With the intimacy of an overheard confession and the weight of a longing left to decay, Lensky delivers a serenade steeped in vulnerability with ‘Valentine’s Day’. His sophomore single, mixed and engineered by Montreal producer Chris Kengard with guidance from Grammy-winning sound engineer Richard King, drifts through jazz-tinged alternative rock, soaking up the influence of Jeff Buckley, Wilco, and Lana Del Rey. Yet, for all the ghosts of past inspirations, ‘Valentine’s Day’ is wholly his own—an ode to the aching disconnect between love and reality.
Lensky’s vocals resist unnecessary inflections, reverberating with the same contemplative stillness heard in Father John Misty’s quieter moments. Wrapped in the ambience of warm guitar tones from Antoine Tousignant, supported by a rhythm section that mirrors the pulse of a restless heart, the instrumental arrangement pulls listeners into a meditative quietude. The track moves from soft introspection to a stirring, full-bodied climax, capped with a guitar solo that burns like a last flicker of hope before the flame dies out.
‘Valentine’s Day’ is out on all major streaming platforms, including SoundCloud.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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