In 2023 there was an album that came out which completely took me by surprise and without exaggeration would go on to be an album that I listen to rather frequently. The album that I am referring to is Lathe of Heaven’s debut album, “Bound by Naked Skies,” which is a truly brilliant sounding release containing some unbelievably profound lyrical content as well some utterly amazing post-punk/new wave arrangements.
When I first heard that Lathe of Heave was going to be releasing a follow-up album this year, I had mixed feelings about the announcement. As much as I welcomed the news, I could not ignore this slight hesitant feeling in regards to how the new release would be able to live up to the debut's profoundly captivating presence. Would Lathe of Heaven be able capture lightning in jar twice, or will it be a case of a band that completely deviates from what made them special on their first album? Well, after listening to the new album titled, “Aurora,” I can confidentiality say that Lathe of Heaven continues to present these captivating post-punk fueled songs with vivid lyrical vignettes inspired by science fiction literature and deep self-reflective themes that are drawn out from living in such an entropic world.
Although there are a lot of similarities between, “Bound By Naked Skies” and “Aurora,” I can definitely tell that the band pushed themselves in terms of the album’s production as well as how they went about trying to create some passionately reflective pieces of music. The opening song, “Exodus,” hooked me right away with the opening guitar arrangement having a very similar effect to that of music by The Chameleons. I can tell that Lathe of Heaven’s guitarist, Noel Mateus, sort of has a similar approach to crafting guitar parts like Reg Smithies from The Chameleons, especially when picking through these vibrant sounding chord progressions. On, “Exodus,” the band delivers a very classic post-punk sounding composition with a very catchy tempo driving the fearlessly song forward as Gage Allison’s vocals come gliding over the hypnotic sounding soundscape. The album’s second track and title track, “Aurora,” is a much more calming new wave/post-punk tale that talks about a dystopian world after nuclear fallout, yet also details the feelings of loss and affection. The song’s melodic tone matched with the bewitching tempo conjured up by the band’s drummer Stephen Reader, creates a comforting atmosphere to put your mind at ease.
Following, “Aurora,” the band goes from a more aggressive sounding style of song with, “Portrait of Scorched-Earth.” Inspired by the results of man's destructive tendencies and international conflict, the instrumental arrangement reminded me of songs from the debut album such as, “Inertia” and “The Breaking Strain.” Gage’s vocals become more fearsome as he shouts with unapologetic rage and the drums echo with a more thunderous sound. I think the track is a decent recording, however, the song is between two very exceptional tracks, with the following song, “Just Beyond the Reach of Light,” being my favorite song off of the album. In a way, “Just Beyond the Reach of Light,” sort of picks up where, “Aurora,” left off and really dives deep into the band’s versatile post-punk talents. Also, I think Gage’s vocals on “Just Beyond the Reach of Light,” were truly exceptional and you can vividly hear such genuine devotion to the topic he is singing about. Also, I thought the arrangement was one of their most dynamic and ambitious creations featuring some mesmerizing guitar parts. The album’s fourth song jumps more in a chaotic frenzy appropriately title, “Oblivion.” The bass lines Daniel Rojas lays down during the track are very impactful and compliment the frantic musical landscape which leaves one questioning their surroundings as they slowly begin to slip into the world without meaning.
For the second half of the album, the band offers even some more fascinating and eye opening tracks that I can see people who enjoy post-punk music/new wave really gravitating towards. “Kaleidoscope” is probably my second favorite song and after I listening to the track in my car driving around the day the album was released, I started to feel a very strong connection to this track. The song contains some powerful lyrics along with some very euphorically dreamy sounding instrumental parts. In addition to the calming post-punk style tracks, the band also returns with more Killing Joke-esque punchy pulsating rhythms on tracks like “Catatonia” and “Automation Bias.” I think “Automation Bias” is a strong thought provoking song which people can really relate to at this moment in time. I will admit that as much as I enjoyed the album’s final track, “Rorschach,” I do believe that the final song on their debut album, “Heralds of the Circuit-Born” was possibly one of the best ending tracks I have heard in a while. My reason for that last statement is that when you listen to, “Heralds of the Circuit-Born,” you become filled with all these different emotions and Gage’s voice provides a very comforting sendoff. Again, I have no issues with, “Rorschach,” and the song fits with the album’s magnetic post-punk energy. However, I do believe that, “Heralds of the Circuit-Born,” will forever be one of the most serene sounding conclusions to an album.
Now for those of you are regular readers of this blog, I would probably estimate that this is one of my longest reviews. Although that should be expected given how much respect and appreciation I have for Lathe of Heaven, especially when pertaining to their debut album. In the end, “Aurora,” did not disappointment in the least bit and once again proves that the members of this band are an undeniably talented and a extremely passionate. “Aurora” contains substance both musically and lyrically, and this group is extremely dedicated to their artistic vision. With all the insanity going on in the world, I have come to view Lathe of Heaven as an inspiration, and I do hope more people discover this band and become captivated by their music like I did when first hearing them.
Check out the music video for "Aurora" below:
Lathe of Heaven Bandcamp:
https://latheofheaven.bandcamp.com/album/aurora
