A Lotus Decade of Eating the Light
Write Lotus in celebration of beautifully surprising album
In certain cultures, the phrase “eating the light” relates to a belief that the sun and air are all you need to survive. Fascinating concept. Spiritually speaking and as a runner, I can feel the benefits to mind and body. But both do require sustenance, in whatever form it may be—and for a decade, the Lotus LP Eat The Light has given fans much to chew on.
We have even more nutrition to consider and digest now, with the July 15 release of the 31-track 10 Year Expanded Edition. The original album, a first for the band in that every song had vocals, is pumped with further life over a half-dozen sides of splattered vinyl. Clearly, this story was ripe for a director’s cut, and the behemoth, beautiful exploration mines the diversity Lotus excels at. Take something baked through and remold it, reskin it, redifferent it.
I listened to it from start to finish on the drive home to North Jersey from Boston. The next day, I headed to Pennsylvania. This summer album deserved a summer bash, but it wasn’t on the beach or at a festival. Rather, my preference: smallish club, the paradise that is the Ardmore Music Hall. And unlike the surprising-at-the-time vocal aspect of the LP, no surprise the show was sold out.
No opener. No covers. Straight up Lotus. Aside from “Flower Sermon” to close the second set and the “Sid” into “Suitcases” encore, the band was laser-focused on the happy weather grooves of the new edition. Smart lyrics that push beyond the typical sentimentality of the season. I was semi-hoping they’d play the original album in full, but what I heard and saw was better.
More so, fulfilling à la fried dough on the boardwalk. With salt in your hair.
Five tracks from the 2016 LP anchored the evening. “Fearless” was the lone song not represented, while all four reworked versions made appearances: The “Suntan (Shine A Light)” interpretation is lovely and set a laid-back mood two songs in before the post-Fourth of July fireworks. Three of four tracks from the companion Drink The Light EP were performed. All-time setlist. Many layers to immerse yourself in, sand and water included. There’s a casual yet gripping interplay of warm and cool on both editions, and the Miller twins emphasized that at the Ardmore.
“For The Summertime” was the logical opener, and latching onto Jesse’s bass is a logical jumping off point at any Lotus show, no matter the flavor. During a part of the second set that tends to start the patient climb to the finish line, Luke’s extended, breathable keyboard passage in “Sleep When We Are Dead” invited introspection into my headspace and had me wide awake. It’s not just their technical skill but the energy they generate, evident during the “Bulletproof” and “Old Cassette” debuts. Irresistible and catchy.
Between the brothers in the middle of the stage, Tim Palmieri and Mike Greenfield. They crushed their way through the celebration, smiling as usual. The former’s guitar solos, whether off the grill or otherwise, felt extra special for this special engagement, while the latter’s versatility on drums and percussion earned the respect of my ears and eyes long ago. “Eats The Light” to end the first set was a medium-rare effort for them, especially after the song proper had concluded and the heightened electronica-jam fun began.
Prior to the release of Eat The Light a decade ago, Lotus held a “not your average listening party” at Samsung 837. Meatpacking District, Manhattan. The experiential nature of the store was ideal for hourlong DJ sets from the Millers, who have a knack for delivering experience by the second. Jesse led off, Luke went next, with no break. If I recall, they each remixed five of the songs, but I do recall that the night was memorable.
And unique, as with the Ardmore show and the band’s approach to making anything happen. Eat The Light has reached another meaningful state, and I’ve navigated a meaty portion of my life during its own. The album doesn’t get the airtime in my car or my home that it should—that it will, rest assured. Because it takes all kinds, and I can respect removing some winter bloat to concentrate on composition. With vocals. Not to be different for the sake of, but to challenge the edges of expectation.
To keep it fresh, too. Like the greens on your grass-fed burger.
Lotus 07/16/2026 Setlist
1: For The Summertime, Suntan (Shine A Light) > Bulletproof*, Sodium Vapor, I’ve Been A Fool (Toy Guns) > When Our Nerves (Summer Night), Eats The Light
2: Old Cassette*, Anti-Gravity (Neon Disco) > Sleep When We Are Dead, White Light Fadeaway (Static Seeps), Move Too Fast > Flower Sermon
E: Sid > Suitcases
*Debut