“Somewhere In The Dark” is Albert Newton’s ode to the universe, artfully blending science and creativity

Not many pop songs have been written about CERN, the physics centre in Switzerland which is home to the Large Hadron Collider, and where A.L.I.C.E took place. That particle experiment, designed to make discoveries about the origins of our universe, inspired Franco-British artist Albert Newton’s latest single “Somewhere In The Dark”, itself a swirling, glinting construction of starry 80s synths and contemporary, understated vocal musings.

Newton’s influences span time, form, and style. They’re not just limited to science - called to mind also by the Einstein and Isaac that his stage name suggests (the man behind the moniker is Henry de Montbazon) - Newton has also drawn on literature, lectures, and of course other musical artists who are famously transformative. Supported by producer Max Baby, Newton pulls inspiration from Harry Styles’s traversing of pop, rock, and dance sounds; Tame Impala’s transcendent psychedelia; The Weeknd’s songwriting prowess; heroes like David Bowie and Frank Ocean… Newton has assembled an aspirational collection of musical innovators, and is channeling them well.

“Somewhere In The Dark” is the latest cut from Newton’s debut album and adds another one of those sprawling facets to what we can expect. It joins the fittingly titled “16 Dimensions”, which eschews the glimmering pop synths in favour of a reflective electric guitar and reverberating vocals. “Fell Off”, which preceded both tracks, is a woozy middle ground between the two. The album, due out in spring, seems set to give us a well-rounded look at the universe that fascinates Newton so much.

Explaining the tale he’s telling in “Somewhere In The Dark”, Newton muses: “Going to a party that you don’t want to go to, learning about the particle accelerator in Switzerland and meeting a Buddhist monk in the English countryside, all have very different outcomes but they’re also linked by how they each provide unexpected moments of knowledge or “light”. I put these three together as lyrics but then they floated round for a while. It was only when my DJ friend Marine Neuilly asked me when I was going to make a song she could play during her sets that the beat appeared and the lyrics found their place”