Reid Parsons finds radiance in the ordinary on 'Lightbulb'
23 April 2025
Newsdesk
Reid Parsons writes about love with a kind of restraint that feels quietly radical. Their new single “Lightbulb,” the final preview before debut album Back to Back arrives this Friday, leans into smallness with intention. It glows gently rather than blinding you, illuminating the sort of moments most songs tend to pass over.
The production is soft-spoken and precise—hip-hop-leaning percussion, fingerpicked acoustic guitar, and carefully layered textures of cello and pedal steel. It evokes a handmade music box, the kind you wind up slowly and don’t want to stop. Parsons builds the track around an unshowy metaphor: a simple ceiling bulb, a stand-in for warmth, presence, and love that doesn’t ask for applause.
Parsons describes the subject as someone who deflects sentimentality with humor. That sensibility lingers in the lyrics and the tone of the music. There’s affection, but it’s not sugarcoated. There’s clarity, but it doesn’t feel rehearsed. The song captures what it feels like to know someone deeply, and to appreciate the light they offer—without needing to dress it up.
With Back to Back landing April 25, Parsons is setting a tone that feels rare in debut albums: measured, self-assured, and quietly expansive. This isn’t music that begs to be heard—it holds steady until you meet it on its level.
