''Enjoy Youth'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh independent singer-songwriter

Bright Light Bright Light Rod Thomas (born 30 October 1982), known professionally as Bright Light Bright Light, is a Welsh electro-pop singer, DJ, composer and producer based in New York City. Bright Light Bright Light incorporates many elements of nu-disco into his mus ...

, released on 17 May 2024 through YSKWN! records. It features collaborations with Berri,

Ultra Naté Ultra Naté (born March 20, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and promoter who has achieved success on the pop charts with songs such as "Free (Ultra Naté song), Free", "If You Could Read My Mind" (as part of Stars o ...

, Mykal Kilgore, and

Beth Hirsch Beth Hirsch (born October 18, 1967) is a singer-songwriter from Tampa, Florida. Hirsch is best known for her collaboration with Air on their album ''Moon Safari''. Her first solo album, '' Early Days'', was released in 2000, followed by ''Titles ...

. It marks his first studio album in four years, since ''Fun City'' (2020).

Background

Speaking with Tyler Damara Kelly for ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' about the process of the album, Thomas stated:

"Things are pretty shit at the moment and there are times where I really feel like magic has been taken out of the world. I wanted to remind myself that life is pretty special and just focus on the joy we do have."

He also confirmed that the record will have collaborations with artists such as singers-songwriters Mykal Kilgore,

, Berri, and

. The album's release was scheduled "to release in time for

Pride Month Pride Month, sometimes specified as LGBTQ Pride Month, is a List of month-long observances, month-long observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender a ...

" as well as Thomas' appearance at London's Mighty Hoopla festival on 1 June. Thomas revealed that the album's producers and writers include

Richard X Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for art ...

Babydaddy Scott Hoffman (born September 1, 1976), known by his stage name Babydaddy, is an American musician and the Ivor Novello Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, backing vocalist and composer for the U.S. glam rock band Scissor Sisters. He is the br ...

Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters are an American pop rock band formed in 2000. The band's current line-up consists of Jake Shears (vocals), Babydaddy (various instruments), Del Marquis (guitar, bass) and Randy Real (drums). Former members include vocalist A ...

Ian Masterson Ian Kenneth Masterson is a British media composer, electronic musician and pop producer. Biography Since the early 1990s, he has produced and remixed songs for a range of pop acts including Dannii Minogue, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Girls ...

and Jon Shave, and that gay pornographic actor and social media personality Jonah Wheeler plays the

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

on the album title track.

Release and promotion

''Enjoy Youth'' was released through Thomas independent record label, YSKWN! on 17 May 2024. It was made available on streaming, digital download, and multiple variants on vinyl, CD, and cassette.

Singles

The album's first single, "I Don't Know What I'm Gonna Do", was released on 18 November 2022. The second single, "Sweet Release", was released on 17 March 2023, with an accompanying music video released on the same day. The song was both written and produced by Thomas with Jon Shave. "Boys Etc." was released as the album's third single on 3 May 2023. "Down to One" was released as the album's fourth single on 15 September 2023. with a

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

themed music video, starring Thomas,

Ryan Miller Ryan Dean Miller (born July 17, 1980) is an American former ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) mostly for the Buffalo Sabres. Miller was drafted 138th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL E ...

, among others premiered on 13 October. The fifth single, "You Want My...", was officially released on 26 January 2024, alongside the album official pre-order with the date, title, tracklist, and album cover revealed. The title of the song is a reference to

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

's "

I Want Your Sex "I Want Your Sex" is a song by English singer and songwriter George Michael. Released as a single on 18 May 1987 in the United States and on 1 June in the United Kingdom, it was the third hit from the soundtrack to ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' and t ...

". A music video for the song, directed, edited, and animated by Tyler Milliron was released on 19 January. The sixth single, "Every Emotion", featured

and was released on 15 March 2024. The music video for the song, directed by Naté, was released on 8 April that year. "Heartslap", featuring

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nominee singer-songwriter Mykal Kilgore, was released as the album's seventh single on 26 April 2024. A remix by

Dave Audé Dave Audé () is an American DJ, producer and remixer. He operates his own label Audacious Records, and is known for having more number ones than any other producer on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart. He has done production for artists ...

was released on the same day. "Snap!" featuring Berri, was released, alongside an extended version, as the album's eighth single on 27 September. On 28 of March, 2025, "Revived" was released as the album's ninth single, alongside a remixes extended play.

Critical reception

Connor Gotto from ''Retropop Magazine'' praised the record, calling it one of the strongest body of works of Thomas career, as well a reminder that Bright Light Bright Light remains one of "British pop's best kept secrets". Sean Maunier from ''

Metro Weekly ''Metro Weekly'' is a free weekly magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community in Washington, D.C., United States. It was first published on May 5, 1994. ''Metro Weekly'' includes national and local news, intervi ...

'' called ''Enjoy Youth'' a "master class in buoyant, vibrant, glorious

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

", highlighting the record "captivating hooks" and "immensely satisfying dance beats", while stating that Thomas album "offers a gentle reminder that youth is a state of mind rather than a product of time".

Track listing

''Enjoy Youth (Enjoy More: Deluxe Version)''

''Enjoy Youth (Enjoy More: Deluxe Version)'' is a

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

of ''Enjoy Youth''. It will be released independently on April 4, 2025, by YSKWN! records. To celebrate ''Enjoy Youth'''s first anniversary, Thomas announced the release of a reissue of the album subtitled ''Enjoy More: Deluxe Version''. It features the original twelve songs, with eighteen new tracks, containing a total of 30 tracks. The reissue includes new collaborations with

Donna Lewis Donna Lewis is a British singer from Cardiff, Wales. She is best known for the 1996 pop hit single " I Love You Always Forever". Lewis teamed up with Richard Marx on the 1997 adult contemporary hit " At the Beginning" for the ''Anastasia'' so ...

, and Megan Vice, and remixes by Thomas CW,

, Berri, Tsatsamis, and Roman Fashion House. The album was promoted by the release of a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

version of "Enjoy Youth" with Donna Lewis, and a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

version, titled "La Jeunesse" with Beth Hirsch.

Personnel

Credits (Standard and Lavender Editions): * Rod Thomas — songwriter (all tracks), producer (track 4–10,12-16) * Ian Masterson — songwriter, producer (track 1,2) * Berri — vocals (track 2) * Jon Shave — songwriter, producer (track 3,6,10,12) * Sam Harper — backing vocals (track 3) * Ultra Naté — vocals (track 4) * Mykal Kilgore — vocals, songwriter (track 6) * Scott Hoffman — songwriter, producer (track 10) * Richard X — songwriter, producer (track 11) * Beth Hirsch — vocals (track 12) * Jonah Wheeler — accordion (track 12) * Megan Vice — vocals, songwriter (track 15)

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2024 albums Dance-pop albums