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Lane 8’s fourth studio LP, ‘Reviver,’ is a masterclass in pure dancefloor bliss [Album Review]

January 21, 2022

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Photo courtesy of Lane 8/This Never Happened.

Nearly two years ago to the day, Lane 8 (aka Daniel Goldstein) rocked the dance music world with his Brightest Lights LP. The album was an instant chart-topper, a critical success, and, despite its early January release, still managed to shoot itself to the tops of many “Best Albums of the Year” shortlists later that year. Since then, Goldstein has been honing his auteur-adjacent sonic stamp with his Northern California-based imprint, This Never Happened. Along the way, Lane 8 has been masterful in every regard.

Whether it was shaping and supporting musical newcomers or welcoming veteran producers into his wheelhouse, Lane 8’s organic, ethereal, and delicate line of progressive house music began to expand and take hold. Somewhere along the way, artist and label began to merge as one. After all, Lane 8 is no longer easily found on Soundcloud, ever since Goldstein renamed his artist channel after his imprint name’s sake (making for a rather difficult search experience on the platform).

Today, January 21, the expansion continues with Lane 8’s highly-anticipated newest studio album, titled Reviver, which marks his fourth full-length project to date. The 13-track LP is euphoric, introspective, and intensely spiritual. Put most simply, Reviver is dancefloor bliss in its purest form.

Upon first listen, “Illuminate” is an immediate standout for its sense of nostalgia and familiarity, as well as a great candidate to represent the overall thematic glue holding the album together. Coming in as the mid-point album track, “Illuminate” is an obvious reminiscent cookie crumb of something we’ve heard before in one of Lane 8’s seasonal Mixtapes and a clearly intentional creative choice on the part of Goldstein.

Lane 8 – Illuminate

This Never Happened · Lane 8 – Illuminate

When Lane 8 announced the album, he explained it would be his “most dancefloor focused album yet” and it’s true to a certain extent. True in the sense that many Lane 8 fans would be beyond elated to see anything from his musical catalog played out in a nightclub all night long. However, that doesn’t mean that the album has lost sight of Lane 8’s calm, mellowed production. Each record builds within itself so pristinely—from soft and serene at the start to energetic and beat-fueled till the end—that it’s no wonder Goldstein claimed it was his “most dancefloor-focused” to date.

Take the album’s second track, “All I Want,” as a point of reference. The Arctic Lake-assisted tune begins with subdued horns, beautiful vocals, and soft melodies. With each passing moment, Lane 8 drops listeners softly off at the song’s peaks, only to take them even higher as the song goes on. Then Goldstein gently layers more and more complexities into his timeline and, before one even realizes it, listeners find themselves dancing eyes closed in a warehouse club into the early morning hours. This is what makes Lane 8 so ingenious.

Lane 8 – All I Want ft. Arctic Lake

This Never Happened · Lane 8 – All I Want feat. Arctic Lake

The same goes for “Watermelon Wormhole.” Each number plays out like a complex, cohesive Hollywood film narrative with invisible editing, intense plotlines, and a mind-boggling climax. Each element is layered on so subtly, and yet so deliberately, that it can idly pass you by if you aren’t intensely listening to his every move. Before even knowing it, we are lost in the song, lost in the dance, and lost in the clouds.

Lane 8 – Watermelon Wormhole

This Never Happened · Lane 8 – Watermelon Wormhole

The album also comes with many familiar-faced collaborators from the Lane 8 musical catalog. A new cast member is popular EDM vocalist Emmit Fenn, whose lyrical contributions on “Red Lights” will surely make listeners wonder why these two musical powerhouses have never joined forces until now—hopefully, it’s not the last time. Interestingly, Reviver contains double features of vocalists Channy Leaneagh, Arctic Lake, and Solomun Grey. A matter of chance or happenstance? We think not. After all, everything Goldstein does is precise and intentional.

Lane 8 – Red Lights ft. Emmit Fenn

This Never Happened · Lane 8 – Red Lights feat. Emmit Fenn

A standout on the LP is “Automatic” with Solomun Grey. A beautiful ballad that marks the album’s climax point in tone and message, this four-minute journey is sure to be Lane 8’s next hallmark anthem, at least among his fanbase. Somber and yet hopeful, at times downtrodden and others uplifting, and simultaneously meditative but energetic, “Automatic” represents the doorway into the ethereal realm; and if the song is the doorway, then Lane 8 is the key.

Lane 8 – Automatic ft. Solomon Grey

This Never Happened · Lane 8 – Automatic feat. Solomon Grey

If there’s one thing that’s become certain with Lane 8’s music, it ages much like fine wine. The dance music world will be enjoying Reviver for years to come. Stream the full LP below, which is out now on This Never Happened.