Singles Spotlight: Shannon Lay –
“Horizons”

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Today, I’m excited to discuss another person making some fantastic music: Shannon Lay. The LA-based singer-songwriter has a great discography, with four studio albums, a live album, and a covers album to date across multiple labels, garnering praise and fans with each new release. The titles include Covers Vol. 1 (2023), Geist (2021), Live At Zebulon (2020), August (2019), Living Water (2017), and her debut before full-time musicianship, All this life goin’ down (2017). According to her Bandcamp page for the album, “The album’s name, August, refers to the month in 2017 when Lay quit her day job and fully gave herself over to music. This was her liberation as an artist, and the album is devoted to paying that forward to her listeners. ‘It’s a thank you to the universe,'” said Lay.

According to a press release for her fifth studio album, Past The Veil, which is out on July 28th via the new artist-run label, All The Best. “Past the Veil is Lay’s most expansive album yet, an extension of the abundance mindset she chose to adopt as she navigated big changes. On top of literal and metaphorical hellfire (the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires of January 2025; the entirety of Trump’s second term in office), Lay also parted ways with her previous record label, which inspired her to lean into trusting herself and her community. Past The Veil is the first release from her new artist-run label, All The Best, where she’ll issue her own music as well as some of her friends’.” At SWT, we’re looking forward to hearing music from this artist-run label.

The press release further elaborates on the creation process of this album, saying, “Beginning in 2024, Lay teamed up with Los Angeles recording engineer and producer Rob Shelton of Altamira Sound in Alhambra, and began writing songs on the spot, with various local musicians joining them to flesh out the tracks. Their first collaborative effort became the single “Mirrors,” a soft-rock meditation released in April that year, which positioned Lay’s voice over a rich full-band arrangement. ‘As soon as we finished that song, I knew I wanted that sound and feeling to compose the entire next record,’ Lay says.”

The release continues peeling the onion even more, “Over the next year, Lay allowed Shelton to help move her out of her usual minimalist frequency, and write a collection of songs that incorporated everything from drum machines to string arrangements and pedal steel guitar. Lay also sings with the might of her full range — sounding bolder and more powerful than ever before — all while maintaining her characteristic soft-heartedness.”

Recently, I was happy to hear one of the lead singles, “Horizons,” from the album, and knew right away that it had to be shared with a wider audience, y’all that frequent SWT as part of our Singles Spotlight series. Let’s explore the song a bit more, first with some press release notes, “…The luminous, textured track is accompanied by a Bailey Salwey-directed video, and follows lead single “Past The Veil,” which earned praise and support from Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, FLOOD, CLASH, and more. “‘Horizons’ is a reminder to be authentic,” she says. “We all have a unique perspective, and that’s what makes this whole experience so interesting. I love art for that reason; it is someone’s view of the world on display. We need to be as much as we want to be and keep our head up high and we
traverse uncertainty. Every step forward makes a difference.” Make sure to look at the titular track after finishing this spotlight.

The percussive synth melody blows in like an eerie wind in the best ways after an opening note guitar strum. Or at least it did while I was listening to my headphones, moving from one ear to the next. The overall melody is well-rounded by more expected instrumentation commonly found within the rock and pop subgenres. Listen for yourself and let us know what you hear. Lay’s vocals grab your attention from her opening words and hold it through the end. In my opinion, her delivery balances well with the haunting, at times, melody. I think “Horizons” serves as not only a good introduction to Lay’s new album but also to her music as well. I’m happy we could feature it and share it with you as part of our Singles Spotlight series.

Check it out for yourself. Take a look at the video for the song, “Horizons” from Shannon Lay’s YouTube channel:

(All credits and rights to Shannon Lay and All The Best)

The cover art for Past The Veil:

The track list for Past The Veil:

1. Moving
2. What Does It Mean
3. Honest Man
4. The Calling
5. Past The Veil
6. Whom Gods Destroy
7. Horizons
8. Room For Less
9. Sky Song
10. I Need More Water

Alex M Theel

Co-Founder, Reviewer, Content Creator, Business side, Editor at Scummy Water Tower Productions | Web

Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com