“The San Francisco foursome’s blend of post-punk, with indie ‘00s guitar rock is a breath of fresh air…” – Everything Is Noise
San Francisco-based NO LIGHTS has issued a new video for “Dream Eraser,” the title track from their brand new debut LP, released earlier this month through The Ghost Is Clear Records. The new video is now playing through an exclusive premiere hosted by Everything Is Noise.
There isn’t 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 it’s more a family resemblance than anything else, uniting guitarist/lead vocalist Matt O’Brien (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 it’s more beautiful or more troubling than real life. The references don’t evoke nostalgia, aren’t 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, 2023 sees the band delivering their debut full length record, Dream Eraser. The album 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. Dream Eraser was recorded and mixed by Scott Evans at Sharkbite and Anti Sleep Studios, mastered by Carl Saff, and completed with artwork by Justin Mcniff.
The “Dream Eraser” video was directed by Justis Krar who writes, “Are dreams erased or just replaced with what comes next? Dreams we think are ours, that we think we want. Eyes closed but perceived nonetheless.”
Vocalist/guitarist Matt O’Brien offers, “The lyrics depict a descent into disillusionment, inspired in part by the words of screenwriter Paul Schrader. When asked about his inspiration for the movie Taxi Driver, he replied, “It was essentially autobiographical. That is what I was: this person in an iron box, a coffin, floating around the city, but seemingly alone.”
Everything Is Noise writes, “Everyone should know how absolutely darling NO LIGHTS are by now. The San Francisco foursome’s blend of post-punk, with indie ‘00s guitar rock is a breath of fresh air into a genre that seems to have been fading for a while. Their debut Dream Eraser, which impressed the hell out of this reviewer, stays a high-point of this summer’s batch of releases, and hasn’t lost any of its shine whatsoever. The album operates as connective tissue between the various influences the San Francisco gents pull from, and with a rolodex of influences that they display effectively.”
Watch NO LIGHTS’ “Dream Eraser” video first at Everything Is Noise
RIGHT HERE.
Dream Eraser is out now through The Ghost Is Clear on 180-gram Black Vinyl and digital at Bandcamp
HERE and
HERE, the label webshop
HERE, and on all streaming services. Also watch the previously released “Sparrows” video
HERE.
Having already toured across the Northwest and Southern US preceding the album’s release, and a hometown release show directly following, NO LIGHTS is currently plotting new live excursions in support of Dream Eraser. Watch for additional updates to post in the weeks ahead.
NO LIGHTS Live:
7/16/2023 924 Gilman – Berkeley, CA w/ Stay Gold, Alcatraz, Tuning, Caged View
