photos by Vanessa Caron-Cantin
San Francisco-based NO LIGHTS will release their debut LP, Dream Eraser, through The Ghost Is Clear Records this Friday, and New Noise Magazine is now hosting an early stream of the album.
There isnât an obvious phonic principle that connects the post-punk, indie pop of NO LIGHTS to more than two decades of Bay Area hardcore and metal. Perhaps itâs more a family resemblance than anything else, uniting guitarist/lead vocalist Matt OâBrien (Early Graves, Grace Alley), guitarist Israel Branson (Set Your Goals), bassist Ian Miller (Kowloon Walled City, Redemption 87), and drummer Dan Sneddon (Kowloon Walled City, Early Graves).
Like the streets of San Francisco in a Hitchcock movie, there is something familiar here, but never obvious whether itâs more beautiful or more troubling than real life. The references donât evoke nostalgia, arenât reverential. And trying to pinpoint specific influences is like trying to tell the difference between the digital and the analog, between tubes and tape and bits and bites: an exercise in feeling rather than precision. NO LIGHTS released the double/paired EPs Stay Awake and June Bug just before the world shut down in early 20202, and now, 2023Â sees the band delivering their debut full length record, Dream Eraser.
With ten rich tracks, Dream Eraser tactfully delivers an emotive and captivating blend of sounds listeners could possibly trace to The Pixies, The Cure, The Wipers, Echo And The Bunnymen, and more. The album was recorded and mixed by Scott Evans at Sharkbite and Anti Sleep Studios, mastered by Carl Saff, and completed with artwork by Justin Mcniff.
Brian Dooley from The Ghost Is Clear Records writes, “Playing in Bay Area bands and going to shows in the 2010s, it was really easy to share a stage, a floor and a good music conversation with all of the members of NO LIGHTS. I first purchased their debut double 7-inch (Stay Awake and June Bug), after hearing a sample from Ian at the onset of the pandemic. When Matt approached us as a fan of our label and armed with a flawless record it was a no brainer to be a part of their music again. Dream Eraser is ten tracks that will surely be spinning on your tables and in your heads for months to come. Their brand of post punk features precise punchy rhythms, shifting melodies, and vocals and lyrics that command your attention. We’re stoked to have everyone spin this one out and watch this band grow.”
Stream NO LIGHTSâ Dream Eraser first at New Noise Magazine RIGHT HERE.
Dream Eraser will be released on 180-gram Black Vinyl and all digital platforms this Friday, June 9th on The Ghost Is Clear. Find digital preorders at the NO LIGHTS Bandcamp HERE, and digital/vinyl preorders at the label Bandcamp HERE and webshop HERE. Also watch the âSparrowsâ video HERE.
Watch for additional videos to drop following the albumâs release.
NO LIGHTS has already toured across the Northwest and Southern US preceding the recordâs release, and now theyâve announced a free hometown release show in San Francisco on June 23rd. Additional tour dates are to be expected as the band continues to play in support of Dream Eraser.
NO LIGHTS Live:
6/23/2023 Kilowatt Bar â San Francisco, CA *free LP release show w/ States Of Nature, Trash Vampires, Crop Top
7/16/2023 924 Gilman â Berkeley, CA w/ Stay Gold, Alcatraz, Tuning, Caged View
https://nolightsband.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/nolightsband
https://www.facebook.com/nolightsband
https://linktr.ee/TGICRECS
http://www.theghostisclearrecords.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/TGICRECORDS
https://www.facebook.com/TGICRECS
https://instagram.com/tgic_recs
The post NO LIGHTS: New Noise Magazine Streams Dream Eraser Debut LP By Bay Area Post-Punk Act From Early Graves, Set Your Goals, Kowloon Walled City Members; Album Out Friday On The Ghost Is Clear first appeared on Earsplit Compound.