Photo by Scott Irvine
Atmospheric coldwave outfit BLACKLIST today unveils their stirring new single, âIn Shadow Light.â The track comes by way of the bandâs impending new full-length, Afterworld, set for release on October 28th via Profound Lore Records.
Starting out as the flagship band of artist Pieter Schoolwerthâs Wierd Records imprint, BLACKLISTâs trademark sound is dense and dark, incorporating elements of shoegaze and heavy metal with coldwave. The members often cite influences like My Bloody Valentine and Motörhead alongside bands like Comsat Angels, Killing Joke, and The Sound, while singer Joshua Strachanâs (Vaura) lyrics split the difference between the anthemic manifestos of Manic Street Preachers and Sisters Of Mercyâs âVision Thing.â
Offers Strachan of âIn Shadow Light,â âItâs about the turning point in a long period of isolation when solitude becomes loneliness and loneliness breeds longing. I suspect many of us experienced this at some point in the last two-three years. I did, and for me it felt like being haunted. Imagery from various films came to mind, the feeling of a presence you can’t see which begins to fill the emptiness of the room. Often this is presented as a frightening thing, something that happens in eerie shadows, but what if the presence is that of someone or something that you desire? That evoked a kind of glow that I felt really matched with how the song sounded to me which was always like a golden autumn sunset. Hence the tension between shadow and light, absence and presence.
âBLACKLIST lyrics have always centered around the concept of belief, both the positive and negative aspects. For me, this song was about taking the negative idea of a frightening malevolent spirit and transforming it into a positive idea, where our existence and our connection with others – maybe even others we haven’t met, or don’t know that well yet – transcends the limitations of the body. It’s about being haunted and possessed, but almost in a romantic way. For me, this is a way of turning superstition into something poetic.â
Stream BLACKLISTâs âIn Shadow Lightâ at THIS LOCATION.
Stream the bandâs previously released singles for âPathfinderâ HERE and âThe Final Resistance,â HERE.
BLACKLISTâs Afterworld will be released on CD, LP, and digitally. Find preorders at THIS LOCATION.
BLACKLISTâs debut LP, Midnight Of The Century â produced by Ed Buller (Suede, Pulp) â was released in 2009. The albumâs main focus was a rejection of what Strachan described as a fear of looming new forms of fascism aided by the rise of various political and religious dogmas. After a long hiatus, the band returned in summer of 2020 with the âDisorderâ single, inspired by the racial justice protests in the United States, and the B-Side âNo Secret Islandsâ which takes aim at the dystopian fantasies of tech billionaires.
In April of 2022 âThe Final Resistanceâ was announced as the lead single from upcoming LP, Afterworld. Post-punk.com called it a âcaptivating and dense explosion of coldwave and unfettered emotion,â while Brooklyn Vegan said it âpicks up where the band left off with widescreen scope and a call-to-arms chorus.â The album, produced by Strachan and mixed by Sanford Parker (Darkthrone, Yob, BLOODYMINDED) explores the possible meanings of love in a time of political and environmental collapse.
BLACKLIST:
Joshua Strachan – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, saxophone
Ryan Rayhill – bass
Glenn Maryansky – electronic/acoustic drums
James Minor – guitar
Chad Dziewior – guitar
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The post BLACKLIST: âIn Shadow Lightâ From Atmospheric Coldwave Outfit Now Streaming; Afterworld Full-Length Nears Release Via Profound Lore Records first appeared on Earsplit Compound.