Blue Skies

The Bright Side is the fourth studio album by Australian recording artist Lenka, released on 16 June 2015 by Sony Music. "Blue Skies" was released as the lead single on 4 March 2015. Background After self-releasing her third album, Shadows, on her own label, Skipalong Records, Lenka began writing her fourth effort. Lenka's third album came after her departure from Epic Records. Despite leaving her record company, in May 2015 it was announced that the album would be jointly released between Skipalong and Sony-ATV Music Publishing, which traditionally publishes Lenka's songs. The album was published through Sony ATV's record label, Hickory Records and Sony Red Music Distribution. Co-president of Sony ATV US, Danny Strickt, stated that "Sony/ATV is excited to be taking this innovative approach with Lenka whose music has long been hugely popular with brands, TV shows and filmmakers. The new partnership perfectly illustrates how the company’s A&R and synch teams can effectively combine to create new opportunities for our songwriters." Sony-ATV US vice-president said that "This is a really special partnership Sony/ATV has struck with Lenka. Our synch department has had such incredible success with her in the past and is receiving widespread interest for this new album." Critical reception Darren Levin of Rolling Stone wrote "It's a cloying album at times, but only someone with a heart of stone could deny such a joyous and refreshing worldview", praising Lenka's optimism and the beautiful messages that the songs convey to the listener. Jacqueline Kim from The Guardian gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and said "Still, we never lose that sense that the entire album sees the world as a glass that's half-full, and for that reason, it's just plain fun to listen to repeatedly. Yes, Lenka's pop sensibilities may sound intended for use in mass media (which would explain why 'The Show' worked so well in Moneyball), but really, who's ever been ashamed to listen to something that was probably used as a cheery commercial jingle? Just take a leaf from Lenka's happy-go-lucky philosophy in 'Unique': 'I like to move around to a different beat, / ... /I don't really mind what you all think'."