Flashing Lights (Deluxe) - An Honest Peek Into TONYB.'s Life
Emotional, passionate, vulnerable; These are all words that perfectly encapsulate TONYB.’s most recent release Flashing Lights (Deluxe). The Nashville native takes 2021 by storm with his powerful debut for the year - a reimagined and revamped version of his 2020 album release. Featuring a brand new track titled “Serious” and new takes on fan favorites, TONYB. showcases his ability to always one-up himself, consistently bringing in new elements to his tracks and always striving to perfect his artistry.
Sonically touching on 90’s and early 2000’s influences such as Aaliyah and Usher, Flashing Lights (Deluxe) details TONYB.’s own experiences with coming into adulthood and the tribulations that come along with growing up. Created over the past few years as he traveled between Los Angeles and his hometown of Nashville, the tracks included within this collection exemplify his vulnerability with his fans, allowing them a peek into a wide stretch of his own emotions and experiences through hard-hitting and impactful lyrics.
The leading single is a powerful introduction to the collection, making it a perfect start to the album. Titled “Worst Way”, TONYB. teams up with Paris Laná to create a silky and longing track - a perfect hint for what is to come as one continues diving into the tracks. Amassing almost half a million streams and being added to Spotify’s Best of 2020: Fresh Finds, TONYB. reflects on honest emotions of longing, making the track easy to relate to with lyrics like, “And I wonder what I ever meant to you, and if you think of me like I think of you.” The duo’s vocals pair together flawlessly, both complementing each other as they blend together throughout the track. Backing these smooth and silky vocals up with catchy upbeat trap-like beats, it’s no surprise that this track has skyrocketed in streams.
Shifting to a more confident tone, TONYB. comes in with the powerful fourth track titled “Take a Loss”. Bold lyrics back an overarching message of self empowerment and coming out on top after a relationship. His rich and soulful vocals combined with his impressive lyrical flow make this track stand out amongst the rest. This track provides an interesting juxtaposition for “24”, the sixth track included on the album. Highlighting a more emotional side to his artistry, TONYB. reflects on his feelings towards a previous partner - showing the love and respect he still has for that individual despite the circumstances. Writing, “This is not no love song,” while simultaneously detailing this connection he still feels towards this ex-partner, he demonstrates the complexity of relationships - or the lack thereof - and relates to any listener experiencing these same emotions.
Perhaps the most emotional and vulnerable side of TONYB. shows itself in “Angels”. Being a personal favorite, this track perfectly rounds out the album and showcases all sides of his artistry. Being a ballad, he creates what can only be described as a very angelic and ethereal atmosphere through chorus-esque harmonies and pairs this with extremely honest and vulnerable lyrics. Including lines such as, “I know my angels never leave”, this track is sure to become a favorite amongst lovers of emotional and hard-hitting ballads.
Touching back to a fan-favorite that we previously covered upon its initial release, his reimagined version of “You Knew What This Was” is one of of the many reimagined, acoustic, and stripped tracks included to conclude Flashing Lights (Deluxe). Taking on a more emotional tone compared to the original track, he takes this fan-favorite track and completely transforms it. Essentially creating a different narrative for the lyrics through slower melodies and more emotional vocals, he makes the tale of a relationship teetering on the line of friendship and romance even more hard-hitting. This track is just one example of TONYB.’s incredible skill of immersing the listener into his tracks with his masterful lyricism and manipulation of production, showing how even a previously dance-worthy track can take on an honest and vulnerable tone when paired with different backing tracks and melodies.
By taking the listener on a journey through his own feelings surrounding life and growing up, TONYB.’s Flashing Lights (Deluxe) is the perfect demonstration of his abilities as an artist. Highlighting the highs, lows, and everything in between, he truly carries the listener through an honest and open self-told journey from the first track all the way to the last. With tracks like “Worst Way” already amassing incredible amounts of streams, TONYB. is sure to be on the radars of all R&B fans alike.