- Words Darcy Culverhouse
Blending alt-rock tendencies with orchestral elements, NYC band, Earthquake Lights, search for life in their latest track.
No one has a sound quite like Earthquake Lights. Apart from having a catchy band name, the four-piece cadre are major players in the alt-rock scene, sticking out from the crowd for their ability to push limits of their genre. Combining ethereal orchestral passages with their rock-infused sound, their soundscapes are thematic and classy as they narrate a brevity of lyrical themes. In their latest track, ‘Silhouette’, the ensemble pens the question, “what’s the connection between music and space?” throughout a euphonious blockbuster.
Having met at college, the band gained brisk accolades with the release of their debut EP Bangups and Hangups, back in 2012. After a short hiatus they returned in 2019 with their debut album titled Distress Signals, a project which cemented their name in the scene as they metaphorically narrated being stranded at sea. Since, Earthquake Lights have amassed millions of streams for their quintessential sound, and garnered places on a numerous of iTunes Top Charts.
Looking to bring 2023 to a meteoric end, Earthquake Light’s latest release, ‘Silhouette’ is built upon the desire to add more irregularity to their sound. Witness a 5/4-time signature which calls out to the chromatic lines of composer, Serge Gainsbourg, as a symphony of orchestral elements which come together in harmonious synergy— all of which is seamlessly blended with alternative rock flavourings. As the bass guitar sets the hypnotic tempo, a cohort of string instruments are played high-octane as the ballad unfolds.
Delving into the depths of the hope for other life somewhere else in the universe, the quartet unwind lyricism based on the yearning to discover more, whilst sonically emitting a mood of excitement for something new. Reaching out to their friend and poet, Andy Axel for inspiration, the lyrics are crafted with such precision they read like poetry— a paradigmatic edition for an orchestral symphony.
Lead singer Myles Rodenhouse shares: “The search for life can be within yourself, within your own world but it would also be within outer space. It can be feeling like you’re always by yourself, but you find out along the way that you’re not traveling alone. EQL is always learning to make music that can be specific to every person’s lens. It is not very literal to how exactly you should interpret this song, it can be seen differently through everyone’s own lens.”