Dawn Richard releases “Mornin | Streetlights,” the cinematic centerpiece from her hotly anticipated new album Second Line. It is a groovy, sensual and euphoric record that parallels her love affair with music. 

Dawn gives perspective on “Mornin | Streetlights,” saying, “‘Mornin’ starts out with my mother speaking about her love life, the fact that she’s only known one love, my father. The traditional use of live instruments and the melodic vocal production on the song signify the wholesome love that my parents have had over a lifetime.” 

She continues: “‘Mornin | Streetlights’ shows the parallel of my love life with music. Structure and rules don’t exist in this type of love, so it was important for me to not only approach this song with a nontraditional structure and length, but also push the design of a what love song should sound like. ‘Mornin’ embodies tradition and soul, and ‘Streetlights’ represents the future. I felt like the songs couldn’t be separate and needed to be together, so I created it as one song; the past and future can exist together within one record."

“Mornin | Streetlights” follows the Flaunt Magazine premiere of Dawn Richard’s ecstatic dancehall pop single “Jacuzzi.” The New Orleans artist announced Second Line on Mardi Gras with “Bussifame,” which was lauded by everyone from MTV (“a space-funk celebration”) to the New York Times (“[it] just keeps adding levels of perky syncopation”) to Billboard (“Dare you not to dance”), and the music video for “Pilot (a lude).” 

Much like the New Orleans–born artist who created it, Second Line is an unapologetic genre bender that pushes boundaries, expands possibilities, and shatters expectations. It’s more than just an album: Second Line is a cohesive sensory experience that questions traditional ideas of sound, production, and visual aesthetics as they relate to music. Its interlocking parts tell an epic story about the quest for artistic expression, with Dawn describing her project as “a movement to bring pioneering Black women in electronic music to the forefront.” 

Pre-order Second Line in the Merge store on CD and LP where it can be bundled with an exclusive lyric zine and/or long sleeve t-shirt. The white Deluxe Peak Vinyl edition featuring the bonus King Creole–shaped 12-inch is sold out in our shop but still available through Rough Trade in NYC.