Sometimes, wether its the good or the bad, the past can be a tricky thing to deal with. Thankfully, Southtowne Lanes are here to help you realise the beauty in your past with their forthcoming album ‘Give Up The Ghost’, and today we are bringing you the first play of their new track ‘Deadlights’.
Long time friends Tyler Giard, Matt Debellis, Matt Kupka & James Giles came together in Eugene, Oregon after being in cover bands, and members temporarily moving away. Eventually, they decided they wanted to take a band more seriously than before, and Southtowne Lanes played their first show at the beginning of 2012. Fast forward 3 years, the band is very much a more serious affair.
“Its a song about anxiety and self-fulfilling prophecy,” says vocalist Matt Kupka of ‘Deadlights’, and how it fits in within the context of the album. “The song happens towards the end of the record, and deals with the concept of the narrator becoming wrapped up in their own accusations. Throughout the record, the narrator references and sees these “ghosts” of their past, and at this point they start realising that they may have just exemplified the projections they thought they were seeing. The narrator stops seeing the ghosts as a separate world, and starts realising that the line between present and past may have been blurred.”
With the album having such a strong theme running through it, Kupka hopes that it helps people take a different view on their past. “I hope that people understand that it’s okay to fondly look back on the past,” he continues, “people you once knew, places you’ve been…as long as they stay there. I don’t mean to break off all ties with anyone from your past forever. I mean for people to take comfort and strength from the past that has gotten them to where they are, and keep on walking. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, regardless of how many ghosts are trying to hold you back.”
Following the release of ‘Give Up The Ghost’ next year, it will be all systems go for this young band, who want to reach as many people as possible with their visceral, yet melody driven brand of emotionally-charged music. “We’d really love to travel as much as possible, and naturally use the album to fuel as much of that as we can,” Kupka says of the bands future plans. “I mean we all love to play music, and that’s why we’re all here, but we would love to be able to travel more with it, and gain as many new experiences as we can.”
‘Give Up The Ghost’ will be release in January, and you can keep up to date with the band via their Facebook page. In the meantime, listen to the excellent ‘Deadlights’ below.