Venusia Lead Light Waves with Through the Eyes of the Other
A Song Andrew Bayuk Wrote in 2008 Becomes the Basel Duo's Two-Voice Case for Empathy
Venusia released Through the Eyes of the Other on 22 August 2026 as the first single from Light Waves. That is the Basel duo's debut album. Across the single's four minutes, Andrew Bayuk and Anisah Alyahya trade lead vocals. As a result, a song about seeing life from the other side is sung from two sides at once.
Venusia’s music is in the playlist below, alongside the rest of this desk’s rock and alternative picks, and the full run of coverage is collected on the Venusia profile. Through the Eyes of the Other came to MusicDrops.News through PopHits.Co Music Charts, which verifies independent artists and places their releases across its network of music news desks. Press play, then read on for the story behind the song.
Before Light Waves, Five Venusia Singles Built the Two-Voice Sound Heard Here
Venusia started in 2020, during the pandemic lockdowns. Bayuk grew up in the United States and Alyahya in Malaysia. Their first recordings were built from sound clips sent back and forth by email.
The first song they wrote in the same room, at their first meeting on the Winter Solstice, became Solstice Love. They released it on the Summer Solstice in June 2022. That September, the French blog Indie Chronique picked it up. The same year, the pair told Illustrate Magazine they were finishing a first album called Light Waves.
Four more singles followed. Their version of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World arrived in October 2022. Next, Think Peace came out on 2 June 2023. When Obscure Sound reviewed Think Peace, it heard a Beatles influence in the harmonies and hooky guitar. It also picked out the dual vocals as an edge of their own. Waking Dream and The Dreamer or the Dream complete that early run of five.
Meanwhile, the instruments split cleanly between the two of them. Bayuk plays acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums, while Alyahya plays piano, synthesiser and cello, and both sing. In fact, the new single was already part of their live set. A live performance on YouTube, filmed at Schifflände in Basel, went up on their channel in May 2025. That was more than a year before the studio version.
Through the Eyes of the Other Sets Two Lead Voices Against Acoustic Guitar, Piano and Cello
The song is older than the band. Bayuk wrote it in 2008 after hearing the story of an Israeli mother and a Palestinian mother talking. At first, each described how she had been treated by the other side. As they kept talking, however, they found they wanted the same things. Both wanted food, shelter, freedom, safety and a good education for their children.
The recording follows that shape. Bayuk and Alyahya take turns at the lead, so two perspectives move toward each other as the song goes on. The lyric opens on the line "An eye for an eye will make us blind". From there it works through the old rules of payback, from tooth for tooth to fire with fire. Then the chorus turns to the idea of learning to see through the eyes of the other.
Musically, it pairs the raw energy of 90s rock with acoustic melody. The track runs to 4:10. Bayuk's guitars, bass and drums sit underneath, with Alyahya's piano, synthesiser and cello around the two voices. Bayuk also wrote and produced it, and the duo recorded it at Guardians Records. Reto Muggli then mixed and mastered it at Powerplay Studios in Zürich.
So who is it for? Listeners raised on the later records of The Beatles will recognise the method. Bayuk has named their stacked harmonies and counter-melodies as the starting point for the duo's arrangements. Fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young get the other half of the lineage. That means close harmony over acoustic guitars, used to carry a message rather than decorate it. Alyahya, meanwhile, counts Pearl Jam and Nirvana among the bands of a teenage grunge phase. That fits the 90s rock grit the single leans on.
Shadow Boxing Followed in September as the Light Waves Album Heads for Vinyl and CD
Shadow Boxing, the next song from the album, came out on 11 September 2026. According to the duo's website, Light Waves is due on vinyl and CD in September. Their profile on Switzerland's Mx3 music portal describes the album as six years of work. It ties songs of unconditional love to calls for peace and empathy.
That gives the single a clear place in the story. Think Peace argued that peace starts from within. By contrast, Through the Eyes of the Other asks the listener to step into someone else's position. As the first release from Light Waves, it also sets the album's terms early. Expect two lead voices, guitar, piano and cello, and a message in plain words.
From the Curator Team: "What earned Through the Eyes of the Other a first listen here is the casting. The song gives each side of its argument a real voice, Bayuk's and Alyahya's. It also puts cello and piano beside a rock rhythm section. As a result, a plea for empathy arrives with the warmth of an acoustic record and the drive of a band."
Where to Stream Venusia and Follow the Duo Through the Light Waves Album Cycle
Stream Through the Eyes of the Other on Spotify or pick your preferred platform from the release page. Venusia's catalogue also sits on Apple Music, Tidal and SoundCloud, and the duo post videos on their YouTube channel.
To keep up with the album rollout, follow Venusia on Instagram, Threads and Facebook. Every current link sits on their Linktree and their Mx3 profile. The lyrics and the story behind the song are on the official website.
