At its core, “Candles!” is a hip hop track, but it doesn’t sit comfortably in any one genre. It drifts between indie, lo-fi pop, and alternative R&B, creating something that feels slightly unplaceable.
The production is minimal, but never empty. A Juno-style synth, lush and slightly wavering, shapes the entire song, while textured layers quietly build beneath it. There’s a cracked snare cutting clean through the mix, grounding the track in hip hop, and an electric piano pushed through a guitar amp, giving it that DIY, slightly distorted edge. It’s a sound that feels carefully crafted, never forced.
Everything has a soft, dreamlike quality, a warm glow, nostalgic without clinging to the past, tying into the song’s deeper themes of change and becoming. Luk45’s process feels almost urgent, like he’s working line by line, afraid of losing a fleeting idea. That urgency translates into a track that says a lot while using very little.
Lyrically, “Candles!” sits in a space of introspection, but more than that, it signals a shift. There’s a sense of maturing here, reaching a point of closure and dancing with your shadows rather than trying to outrun them. In earlier work, his narrative often felt like a fight, a constant pushing against inner turmoil. Here, that tension softens. This is a song of acceptance.
The darkness doesn’t disappear. It lingers, present and undeniable, but instead of resisting it, Luk45 seems to walk alongside it. There’s something quietly powerful in that choice. It suggests that growth isn’t about winning against yourself, but learning to exist with every part of who you are. Lines like “is this a life that you wanted, you can be honest” linger, while “dancing in the dark” captures that solitary, almost sacred feeling the track holds.
The story behind the song adds another layer of depth. Luk45, born Lukas, is an alternative hip hop artist from the east side of Johannesburg, South Africa, who has been making music since high school. Most of his work has been with his collective 12 Dogs, with whom he has released two albums since 2021.
“Candles!” was written and recorded just weeks after he was discharged from hospital with a broken jaw following a street fight. The aftermath of that violence put life into stark perspective, propelling him into a space of raw emotion and pure creation. Ironically, it’s a love song, but with a darker undertone if you listen closely, a reminder that beauty can emerge even from trauma.
There’s a strong sense of atmosphere in “Candles!” It’s a late-night song, the kind you play on a train ride home or alone in your room at 1 a.m., when the world is quiet and it’s just you and your thoughts. It doesn’t demand attention; it invites you inward. The track sits somewhere in the chest, making you feel both a little restless and anchored at once. It’s like standing on the edge of something new, not quite knowing what comes next, but feeling ready for it anyway.
There’s a deep resonance in that space, learning to sit with yourself, to feel settled in your own body, even as everything around you shifts.
The music video, directed by emerging Johannesburg filmmaker Katherine Drossopoulos, is a seamless collaboration between two strong creative voices. Drossopoulos is known for narratives that explore isolation, self-discovery, and introspection, paired with a bold visual style, qualities that are fully realised in this project.
The video mirrors the track’s minimalism, rendered in stark black and white with a striking sense of restraint. Clean, open visuals, wide skies stretching endlessly above, are interrupted by moments of experimentation: flashes of inverted, almost solarised imagery that feel unexpected, like glimpses into another layer of the song. Mixed media elements appear in the form of hand-drawn illustrations, softening the sharpness of the frame and adding a human touch, creating a perfect balance between technical precision and emotional intimacy.
There’s a quiet narrative in motion, with Luk45 running down an empty street or dancing by himself, but what sits with you most are the pauses and moments of stillness. A sense of focus, a chance to breathe, and the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in what you’re seeing and hearing. Moments where everything slows, where he smiles, where the performance becomes more personal.
In these fragments, the video reveals its heart: an artist fully absorbed in his craft, taking it seriously, but never losing the simple, pure enjoyment of creating.
“Candles!” becomes a quiet metaphor: a small light guiding you forward. Not blinding, not overwhelming, just enough to keep going.
