Spotlights - Love & Decay (Album Review)

Release date: April 26th 2019. Label: Ipecac Recordings. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Love & Decay – Tracklisting

1.Continue The Capsize 05:31

2.The Particle Noise 04:56

3.Far From Falling 07:27

4.Until The Bleeding Stops 05:27

5.Xerox 03:23

6.The Age of Decay 05:23

7.Mountains Are Forever 05:41

8.The Beauty of Forgetting 10:54

9. Sleepwalker (CD & VINYL BONUS TRACK)

Members

SARAH QUINTERO // BASS VOCALS

MARIO QUINTERO // GUITAR VOCALS PROGAMMING

CHRIS ENRIQUEZ // DRUMS

Review

Greetings All,

My first encounter with Brooklyn, NY’s Spotlights was with last years excellent Hanging by Faith EP that I got to review for the site. That was a killer EP and an excellent introduction to the band, so I jumped at the chance to check out their awesome new record, Love & Decay. 

Spotlights is an incredible band that are kind of tough to categorize, they are self described “Dream Sludge” which is an excellent description, as that is what I had jotted in my notes prior to checking their bio. Dreamy, atmospheric, and heavy. I’m reminded quite often of the subdued moments of the Deftones, with a heaping helping of Sonic Youth style dissonance, and some of My Bloody Valentine’s shoegazey riffage.

Continue The Capsize opens the record with a nice big riff that breaks into a synth driven, breathy vocaled charmer. The band kicks the groove in with the start/stop rock of The Particle Noise. A spacey, acoustic sound opens Far From Falling before the track explodes into a bass heavy monster. The heavy bass continues with Until the Bleeding Stops that has some stellar detached vocals. The band shows some quick strike power with Xerox that features a massive driving riff and killer rhythmic vibe.

A synth heavy intro brings the righteous The Age of Decay that is the perfect lead in to the my favorite track on the album Mountains Are Forever. The song explodes with uptempo drums and riff before slowing down midway before it picking back up to an epic close. A synth sounding drum intro brings the acoustic driven epic, The Beauty of Forgetting, that morphs into a drum heavy beast. The heaviness of Sleepwalker brings the album to a close with synths and impassioned vocals that climax with a huge synth and feedback laden close.

Love & Decay is an impressive, inspired record. It is layered with nuances showing themselves upon each subsequent listen. Spotlights beautifully balance, dissonance with heaviness like few other bands can. This record is a straight ahead rock record but with something more and that something can be found in the hazy, empty bliss of a lost dream. I am a huge fan of Spotlights, and you should be as well. Check out Love & Decay, you will not be disappointed!

- Todd S - Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Words by Todd Stealey

Thanks to James at Rarely Unable PR for the promo. Love & Decay is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl now.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

Spotlights - Hanging By Faith (EP Review)

Release date: June 15^th 2018. Label: Ipecac Recordings. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Hanging By Faith – Tracklisting

1.The Hanging (Hang Us All) - Kris Dirksen Remix

2.Till Darkness Comes Out (Ghost Of A Glowing Forest) - Mario Quintero Remix

3.Sudden Violent Movement (Seismic) - Aaron Harris Remix

4.Ice Giant (The Size Of The Planet) - Void Manes Remix

5.Faith

Members

Sarah Quintero - Bass/Guitar/Vocals

Mario Quintero - Guitar/Synths/Vocals

Chris Enriquez - Drums (Live)

Review

New York city's Spotlights showed up on my radar sometime last year as the opening act for the mighty Melvins. There album Seismic was an absolute monster with a stunning mix of heavy rock with a bit of electronics sprinkled in for good measure. Hanging by Faith is a breathtaking 5 song EP that features four remixes from their recent album Seismic. Though with a heavier punch of industrial and electronics.

The record does an absolutely amazing job of being detached, brooding and moody while at the same time being warm and intimate.

The Hanging (Hang us All) Kris Dirksen remix opens the record with the a late era Nine Inch Nails sound wrapped lovingly around detached vocals.

Till the Darkness Comes (Ghost of A Glowing Forest) has very subdued, almost ambient sound about it. The song is extremely synth heavy and has moments that give you that

Stranger Things feel. A Sudden Violent Movement lives up to its name as it kicks in quickly. This drums and synth heavy monster is a surreal trip.

Ice Giant (Size of the Planet) is a noise heavy track remixed by Void Manes who did some work on the Melvins Chicken Switch remix album.

The album closes with a brilliant cover of the Cure's Faith. This is the most straight forward fully realized rock song on the record. The guitars and drums are heavy with a full band sound.

Hanging by Faith is a brilliant piece of work and an interesting jumping on point if you are not familiar with this fabulous band, even if you are not a fan of electronic music.

The five songs pulsate with a dark beautiful light that draws you in and seduces your soul. Do yourself a favor and check out this and the previous releases from this amazing band.

- Todd S

Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Words by Todd Stealey

Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR for the promo. Hanging By Faith will be released on CD/DD/Vinyl via Ipecac Recordings from June 15^th 2018.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp

 

Spotlights - Seismic (Album Review)

Release date: October 06^th 2017. Label: Ipecac Recordings. Format: CD/DD/VInyl

Seismic – Tracklisting

1. Seismic

2. Learn to Breathe

3. The Size of the Planet

4. Ghost of a Glowing Forest

5. Under the Earth

6. A Southern Death

7. The Opening

8. What is This? Where Are We?

9. Hollow Bones

10. Hang Us All

11. The Hope of a Storm

Members

Sarah Quintero - Bass/Guitar/Vocals

Mario Quintero - Guitar/Synths/Vocals

Chris Enriquez - Drums

Review

Spotlights play a beautiful style of Sludge, Doom, Post-Rock, Noise and Shoegaze kind of sound. Parts The Melvins, Torche, ISIS (The Band) and Helms Alee but offering their own unique heavy sound. The band return with their sophomore effort - Seismic. A lush and progressive musical odyssey that captures the listener's imagination from the very start with brooding drums and haunting played riffs.

Opening song - Seismic - is a song that captures the balance between light and heavy sounds with Spotlights operating with a distinctive shoegaze authority. The song changes from melodic sludge/post-metal heaviness to a more refined doom-pop/shoegaze environment. The ambient and psychedelic sounds add a very cool and very friendly feel to the whole feel of the album. The dual vocals have a warm embrace around them. As Spotlights maybe distinctively a heavy rock band but they bring you into their sludgy rock world with loving open arms.

Second song - Learn To Breathe - has a classic eighties/nineties shoegaze approach with the band keeping the sludge riffs at bay and replaces them with a heavy alternative rock feel. The band adds their soulful and addictive vocals to the song at different parts of the song. The vocals have quite a stop-start approach that matches the flow and vibrancy of the song.

Third track - The Size Of The Planet - has more of a classic post-rock/post-metal feel that brings back memories of ISIS (The Band) at the top of their creative powers. It's a beautifully played slow piece with Spotlights on mesmerizing form. The shoegaze/doom-pop feel of the song is what holds your attention. Seismic has this magnetic and addictive hold over you as the heavy played sludge riffs leave you wanting more. The dual vocals and superbly written lyrics make the emotional connection between the album and the listener only stronger.

Fourth song - Ghost Of A Flowing Planet - is perhaps my favourite song on the album as it opens with a fantastic psychedelic/sludge hybrid sound with dreamlike vocals to match. The lyrics are simply written but Spotlights deliver them with ultimate grace and style.

Spotlights carry on their experimental doom/sludge rock vibes with more outstanding songs such as Under The Earth, A Southern Death, Hollow Bones and The Hope Of A Storm. Spotlights opt for a more drone based sound on later stages of the album without compromising the almost feel-good and uplifting sludge/post-metal/doom metal riffs they capture superbly well. Seismic is wonderfully produced with the band sounding incredible from the start.

Spotlights should also get credit for their use of different sounds on the album. As they keep the album sounding wholly original throughout. Seismic is an album that works on so many different levels. It never bows down to genre rules or conventions. Seismic is perhaps one of the boldest and most addictive albums you'll hear this year. I rank Seismic as one of the top ten albums of the year.

A simply incredible and exquisite album.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Monica at SpeakEasy PR for the promo. Seismic will be available to buy via Ipecac Recordings on CD/DD/Vinyl from October 06^th 2017.

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp