NORTHLANE Spent More Than Two Years Working On Songs For Upcoming 'Anemoia' Album: 'It's Been A Long Process'

In a new interview with Steve O'G, vocalist Marcus Bridge of Australian heavy music trailblazers NORTHLANE spoke about the band's upcoming seventh studio album, "Anemoia", which is due out everywhere October 30 via independent release. Regarding NORTHLANE's collaboration with Jordan Fish, a former member of BRING ME THE HORIZON who recently signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music, Marcus said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We kind of wanted to go into these new songs and just kind of approach it from a different angle. And then Jordan's name came up. And for us, obviously he does so much great work, but it's also really exciting for us to work with someone who also understands what our sound is and how to complement that as opposed to kind of just bulldoze over it with his own kind of thing. 'Cause he does have his sound, but he was also very aware of what we do and made sure to kind of just sprinkle some of his elements in there and really kind of just tighten it all up a bit. So, it was a really fun time working with him, too. He came out to Australia for a week, and we were just sitting in [songwriter/guitarist] Jon's [Deiley] apartment just going over songs, trying to chip away at some chorus melodies and stuff here and there. And it was a lot of fun. He's just like a kid in a candy store when he's working on music. So it was very fun."

After Steve O'G noted that the recently released NORTHLANE single "Evian" sounded like "the EDM" elements "got added on steroids to that", as did "the heavy" parts, Marcus said: "Well, I think with our last EP, [2024's] 'Mirror's Edge', we kind of pulled it back a little bit and kind of drew on all sorts of elements from our sound over the years. I feel like there was some kind of more 'Mesmer' [2017 album] vibes in some of the songs while still having those sprinkles of electronic stuff in there. But for this one, yeah, we definitely wanted to go pretty ham with it and once again just try and capture that kind of nostalgic electronic music feel of the late '90s, early 2000s. And it's been a long process as well to really perfect that, I guess."

He continued: "These songs we've been working on for two years about — maybe a bit over two years. Not long after we released 'Mirror's Edge' did we get stuck into working on all of this. So it's taken a lot of fine-tuning to kind of nail that while still keeping it sounding like us and not feeling like it's straying too far off the path of what we've kind of done already. Still keeping it heavy, still keeping that electronic element, but without it feeling like it wasn't us. So, yeah, that's just the vibe we love. So it's interesting to kind of push that as far as it goes."

Across a career defined by seismic shifts, NORTHLANE have stared down technological anxiety, alienation and collapse, channeling it into a highly influential body of work that is as expansive as it is confrontational. With the world in dire straits, it would have been easy for them to descend into the void on album number seven. Instead, they emerged from the studio with their most hopeful and human record yet.

"Anemoia" track listing:

01. Pierce The Sky
02. NEED2FEEL
03. Crucified
04. Deathwish
05. Evian
06. CUT_it
07. S∈GA
08. The Otherside
09. Start Again
10. Anemoia (feat. DAYSEEKER)

Executive produced by Jordan Fish, the idea for "Anemoia" was sparked by a mind-altering set from U.K. producer and DJ Evian Christ, which inspired songwriter/guitarist Jon Deiley to explore how trance — in all its emotional intensity and physical scale — could work naturally with guitars and the catharsis of heavy music. Throughout the album, NORTHLANE's hallmark electronic metal takes on many forms, shapeshifting through euphoric trance, seismic breakdowns, brain-bending grooves, drum-and-bass, jungle and pop, coalescing into NORTHLANE's own sonic singularity.

Following on from NORTHLANE's No. 1 album "Obsidian" (2022),"Anemoia" toys with the concept of feeling nostalgia for a time or place one has never known. This yearning opens up a dichotomy of darkness and light, where the sense of freedom of eras past buoys a carefree energy running through tracks like first single "Evian", while feelings of anger and despair come roaring back when the present day shatters the reverie, leading to some of NORTHLANE's heaviest moments since their first EP.

More than 15 years into their career, NORTHLANE continue to stand at the forefront of heavy music globally with a singular sound that shifts the genre's landscape with every release. With multiple chart-topping albums, awards and over 500 million streams, the band has built a legacy defined by the restless pursuit of innovation. On "Anemoia", they have not chosen between the worlds that shaped them — they have finally found where they meet.

The band has had an impressive touring year, recently concluding an expansive North American tour supporting DAYSEEKER. They are currently on the road playing festivals in Europe before embarking on the Hellbound cruise and another tour across Europe supporting DAYSEEKER this fall.

Photo credit: Kane Hibberd