Pretty Lights Announces First Album in Over a Decade

The iconic producer, whose real name is Derek Vincent Smith, is releasing his first album since 2013's seminal A Color Map of the Sun. Titled A Trip Thru Time Fantastic, the project will unfold across nine installments comprising 45 songs, the first 15 of which are available now.

From Live Laboratory to Studio Release

For years, Smith maintained that he had little interest in making another traditional Pretty Lights album after A Color Map of the Sun. Instead, the project's energy flowed into intricate live shows, which functioned as sprawling improvisational performances backed by expansive audiovisual production. A Trip Thru Time Fantastic feels like the natural culmination of that chapter, transforming years of experimentation into a definitive studio release.

Smith, who recently became a father, reflected on the personal milestones that helped shape the long-awaited album. "I built a home with the love of my life, found a spiritual path, reunited with my eternal soul brother Michal Menert, formed an AV ensemble to power a traveling laboratory, and been blessed with the most beautiful experience of my life… meeting my son Ayahn," he wrote.

Studio Versions of Live Staples

The first 15 tracks are now available on Pretty Lights' website. Among the highlights are studio versions of "Time to Build a Home," "Where Are You Going" and "The World is a Cinema," songs that grew into prized staples during the band's celebrated live return. Though fans have revisited live tour recordings on SoundCloud, these polished studio renditions preserve the emotional weight of those performances while showcasing their meticulous production and sampling.

Few songs capture Pretty Lights' knack for balancing groove and emotion quite like "Private Ledge." Its infectious rhythm and shimmering instrumentation make it one of the album's most goosebump-inducing moments. Elsewhere, "Wheel Within a Wheel" unfolds like a slow-motion daydream through a latticework of dreamlike vocals and atmospheric soundscapes.

Reimagined Live Production and Tour Dates

Smith's announcement also ushers in a new era for the live project and its evolving band. He revealed that the "Soundship Spacesystem" has been completely reimagined with an overhauled production and a newly expanded creative team. The news follows the recent departure of longtime lighting and production designer, Lazer Shark, who stepped away from the project after 17 years.

Alongside the new music, Smith unveiled an upcoming tour with stops in New York, Louisiana and California, plus festival appearances at Secret Dreams, Mempho, Hulaween and the group's own event, Yahn Dawn.