Following a breadth of experience as a collaborator and multi-instrumentalist in projects like Dirty Projectors and Coco , Maia Friedman’s densely-textured pop is wise and evokes what she wants it to: the sensuality of touch, feeling and image, a sonic form of empathy surrounding listeners like warmth. 
 Friedman’s voice lends a unique quality of comfort that permeates all her collaborations, but on her solo debut, "Under The New Light", she presents her full intention. Her role is that of the wounded healer, one who has gained wisdom through darkness and grief. In her empathetic role, rather than share the details of any struggling, Friedman instead seeks to build a cloud of safety for those who might have pain of their own. Rather than a depiction of suffering, Friedman's songs are its antidote.