Maurice Harris—better known as Ionne—isn’t playing it safe on his fourth full-length, A Light Untruth. This project marks a sharp left turn from the EDM textures he’s been known for. Instead of pulsing club beats, we get an album drenched in alternative moods, layered concepts, and heavy doses of reflection. It’s ambitious, sprawling, and, honestly, one of those projects that makes you rethink what you thought you knew about an artist.

The whole thing grew out of a multimedia art collaboration—Sonos Lumia—where Ionne paired his music with abstract painting (Mary Barr Rhodes) and immersive projection work (Benjamin Britton). That blend of sight and sound still lingers all over A Light Untruth. You can hear it in the way the songs feel cinematic, like they’re painting with shadow and glow at the same time. It’s not just music—it’s an atmosphere.

Thematically, light versus darkness is the album’s anchor. But Ionne doesn’t treat light as pure good and darkness as pure evil. Instead, he leans into the tension and contradictions between them. The first four tracks alone feel like a guided meditation on those dualities. “Headlight”—the haunting opener and Ionne’s personal favorite—frames a hit-and-run story not as tragedy alone, but as a surreal transformation where beauty seeps through decay. It’s eerie, raw, and strangely hopeful, and it sets the tone for everything that follows.

From there, “Dusk & Dawn” dives into the bittersweet ambiguity of love, separation, and everything that exists in between; “Blacklight” toys with contrast in a playful, almost mischievous way; and “The Neverending Sun” hits hardest, forcing listeners to wrestle with uncomfortable truths about privilege, prosperity, and the costs behind them. These aren’t just songs—they’re philosophical thought experiments disguised as music.

Even the title, A Light Untruth, reveals Ionne’s headspace. Inspired by Yale’s motto Lux et Veritas (“Light and Truth”), the name points to the slippery nature of truth itself. As Ionne puts it, we tell ourselves “light untruths” to cope, to justify, to make sense of our contradictions. That idea seeps through the lyrics, arrangements, and pacing, giving the album its backbone.

Musically, the record is lush but understated. You won’t find EDM-style drops here—this is a slower burn, with melodies that shimmer, textures that shift like shadows, and lyrics that sit heavy in your chest. It’s alternative, yes, but it’s not boxed in. At times it veers into dream-pop expansiveness, other moments feel rooted in rock grit, and then there are passages that are downright cinematic.

The best way to describe A Light Untruth is that it feels like walking through a gallery of light installations—each room different, each perspective shifting depending on how you stand in it. It’s heady, but never pretentious; deep, but still inviting. And that’s the magic of Ionne—he takes big ideas and wraps them in sounds that make you want to stick around, to let them sink in.

In short: this isn’t just a pivot for Ionne—it’s a breakthrough. A Light Untruth is one of those albums that rewards patience, curiosity, and repeat listens. It doesn’t scream for attention; it draws you in with subtle brilliance. For fans of concept-driven records, or anyone who loves music that sits at the intersection of art and philosophy, this one’s a must-hear.

“A Light Untruth” is available now on all major streaming platforms

Listen to Ionne and other similar artists on our Spotify Playlist ‘New Music Spotlight - Indie & Alternative’

“A Light Untruth” - Ionne

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