SPOTLIGHTS- ‘Seismic’
This is perfectly titled. The second record from New York wife-and-husband duo Spotlights is capable of shaking the ground under your feet. From the atmospheric rush of the title track to the soaring space-rock of ‘Hang Us All’ it’s a slow-motion tidal wave of riffs, shoegaze turned all the way up to eleven. It’s not a numbing rumble though, there are rays of light and surprisingly delicate layers in play. ‘Learn To Breathe’ is one of the gnarliest numbers but wiry guitars and stabs of piano elevate it above a simple chug, and if Deftones had written ‘The Opening’, people would be calling it a heady return to the days of ‘Around the Fur’. There’s more too, ‘Seismic’ is bursting with ideas, so much to love. The record does rumble on for a little too long, interest from even the most smitten ears will start to wane after the hour mark, but it still confirms Spotlights as no longer a band to watch, but a band that is here and now. Bold, beautiful noise.
