Today, Lucy Gaffney returns with the single “Daydream In Tokyo” and the announcement that a new Nettwerk EP with the same name will be released on September 29.
Lucy Gaffney is no stranger to the power of pure intention and patience. Two well-received lo-fi recordings made by The Coral frontman James Skelly were the first solo releases that the Belfast native made in 2020. In the year 2023, the film “Daydream In Tokyo” vividly announces her arrival. The main single from her impending second EP, it’s an unadulterated cut independent pop jewel just as Technicolor as Gaffney’s excursion en route.
The song is an escapist anthem that she wrote while she was living in Liverpool and has a path that takes you on a journey. It shows how, even in one’s mind’s eye, a potent sense of place far beyond can be an antidote to the mundane in three minutes. However, for Gaffney, longing for Tokyo isn’t an automatic thrust in that frame of mind of a hunger for something new. It’s a reflection on walking through neon-lit streets and singing Big Star’s “Thirteen” in a backstreet karaoke bar, which is how her favorite movie, Lost in Translation, depicts the Japanese capital.
According to Gaffney, “I’ve always adored and been fascinated by its cinematography.” The enigma and ambiguity of discovering a foreign location has so much depth. I find it hard not to connect with each scene totally. I wanted it to capture the aesthetic of the movie and, in a similar manner, translate a relatability in everyday thoughts and relationships between people because I can’t write unless I see something that inspires me visually.
The single is a feat of full-blown indie-pop finesse, nodding to Bowie’s “China Girl,” jangle-pop gems like “There She Goes” by The La’s and “Brass In Pocket” by The Pretenders, as well as the subtle but powerful approach of contemporary artists like “beabadoobee,” “Phoebe Bridgers,” and “girl in red.” Although this may not be the case for all of Gaffney’s songs, “Daydream in Tokyo” is fundamentally optimistic and open-hearted. It likewise serves as a challenge to dig further and find the full range of her sound.