Cascade
Familiar and strange
Stirring behind your eyes
Brooklyn’s Lathe of Heaven slices through genre boundaries, carving out their own vivid niche between punk, new wave, and post-punk on their anticipated second full-length release, Aurora, set for an August 29th release via Sacred Bones. With a nod toward literary introspection and philosophical riddles, their latest offering, Oblivion, plunges listeners into an existential whirlpool.
Singer Gage Allison sets the stage over choppy rhythms and gleaming guitar lines, imagining a substance capable of amplifying self-awareness into oblivion. “Say a word enough times and it begins to lose meaning,” he reflects. “This is a phenomenon called semantic satiation, and it is the underlying inspiration behind this song.” His vision unfolds like a Philip K. Dick short story, where the mirror’s reflection multiplies identity until it collapses into cosmic ambiguity.
Lathe of Heaven paints in bold, cerebral strokes, confronting Cartesian duality: Descartes’ separation of mind and body, head-on. Allison toys with philosophical misdirection: “I just like playing with the idea of being tricked into experiencing an essential oneness with the universe in a way that binds us in a great link of existence.” Yet, he’s quick to caution: “Too much of anything is almost always a bad thing, and taking this drug will likely have dire consequences.”
Allison pauses and notes he is getting ahead of himself.”…Let’s just say these lyrics are a prequel to a future project.”
The accompanying visual, courtesy of Max Rooney and Hank Allen of Fingertrap Productions, deepens the surreal disorientation. “We wanted to match the sci-fi themes of Lathe of Heaven and add our own twist,” they explain. The fractured, blue-tinted visuals cleverly employ mirrors and projectors, distorting reality and separating bodies from their surroundings. It’s equal parts cerebral thriller and optical illusion.
Oblivion is a compelling glimpse of Aurora, poised to thrust Lathe of Heaven into the alt-consciousness zeitgeist, prompting fans to question reality and perhaps lose themselves a bit in the process.
Watch the video for “Oblivion” below:
Aurora unfolds like an anthology of brief narratives, each song illuminating new facets of Lathe of Heaven’s ever-evolving sonic identity and thoughtful lyrical journeys. Channeling the atmospheric pulse of mid-80s British and Finnish post-punk alongside subtle hints of 90s indie-pop and modern alternative moods, Aurora boldly expands the band’s musical landscape. The record masterfully balances the band’s raw, punk intensity with a sleek, new wave elegance.
The album’s lyrical heart fearlessly tackles significant themes. Imagined as a series of interconnected science fiction vignettes, Aurora delves into anti-colonialism, representation, and social justice, inspired by literary giants like Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Greg Egan, and Peter Watts. Each song transports listeners into vivid, imaginative, occasionally unsettling territories, prompting deep contemplation on our shared humanity.
Rooted firmly within post-punk, gothic rock, and darkwave traditions, Aurora deftly escapes straightforward categorization. It achieves literary depth without pretension, engages politically without sermonizing, and explores emotional authenticity without hesitation. Each track feels like shards of a fragmented mirror, revealing an alluring, fragmented beauty and reflecting the countless shapes and vulnerabilities of human existence.
Listen to Aurora below and pre-save and pre-order the album here.
Lathe of Heaven is hitting the road across North America and Europe this autumn. Catch those dates below:
Tour dates:
- 18 September – Boston, MA @ O’Briens
- 19 September – Montreal, QC @ L’Escogriffe Bar
- 20 September – Toronto, ON @ Collective Arts Taproom
- 21 September – Detroit, MI @ Lager House
- 22 September – Chicago, IL @ The Burlington
- 24 September – Dallas, TX @ Dusty’s
- 25 September – Austin, TX @ Elysium – Levitation Fest
- 27 September – Joshua Tree, CA @ Thrasher Death Match
- 28 September – Los Angeles, CA @ Permanent Records Roadhouse
- 3 November – Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft
- 4 November – Warsaw, PL @ VooDoo
- 5 November – Poznań, PL @ Pod Minogą
- 6 November – Prague, CZ @ Bike Jesus
- 7 November – Wien, AT @ Das LOT
- 8 November – Trento, IT @ Cs Bruno
- 9 November – Bologna, IT @ Improved Sequences Festival
- 11 November – Lyon, FR @ Sonic
- 12 November – Geneva, CH @ La Sportive
- 14 November – Barcelona, ES @ Greetings From Barcelona Festival
- 15 November – Madrid, ES @ The 27 Club
- 16 November – Porto, PT @ Radio Clube do Agramonte (RCA)
- 18 November – San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba
- 19 November – Bordeaux, FR @ DEUS EX MACHINA
- 20 November – Paris, FR @ La Mécanique Ondulatoire
- 21 November – Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn
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