Lathe of Heaven releases ambitious second album Aurora
Lathe of Heaven returns with their second full-length album Aurora, a bold expansion of their sonic and thematic palette that unfolds like a series of vivid, emotional vignettes.
Produced by: Ben Greenberg
Rather than following a singular tone or mood, Aurora plays like a collection of short stories, each track offering a unique perspective on the band’s evolving sound and deeply reflective lyricism. Influences span mid-80s British and Finnish post-punk, subtle threads of 90s underground pop, and contemporary textures, resulting in a sound that fuses their punk roots with captivating new-wave aesthetics. Recorded with Ben Greenberg at Circular Ruin and mastered by Brad Boatright, the album draws inspiration from The Cure’s melodic rock, Musta Paraati’s gothic synths and percussion, and the art-pop sensibilities of A Flock of Seagulls.
Lyrically, Aurora is as ambitious as it is unflinching. Envisioned as a collection of sci-fi short stories, its themes are shaped by anti-colonialism, diversity, and equality, nodding to writers like Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Greg Egan, and Peter Watts. Songs like opener ‘Exodus’ probe the nature of identity and transformation through the lens of Theseus’ Ship Paradox, while ‘Aurora’ imagines love at the end of the world in a dystopian wasteland. ‘Oblivion’ explores semantic satiation, while ‘Portrait of a Scorched-Earth’ directly confronts the horrors of modern warfare and displacement, rooted in the lived tragedy of Gaza. Elsewhere, the band explores disorientation, memory, power structures, and subconscious realms across tracks like ‘Kaleidoscope,’ ‘Matrix of Control,’ and ‘Infinity’s Kiss.’ Closing track ‘Rorschach,’ named after an alien ship in Peter Watts’ fiction, ends the record on a note of personal apocalypse.
Out now via Sacred Bones, Aurora resists easy categorization. With roots in post-punk, gothic rock, and darkwave, the album manages to be literary without pretension, political without preaching, and deeply emotional without turning away from pain. Every track feels like a shard of a larger mirror, together reflecting a fractured yet prismatic beauty.
Standout Songs: Aurora,’ ‘Oblivion,’ and ‘Kaleidoscope.’
Release Date: August 29, 2025
6.8
We’ve covered Lathe of Heaven previously: ‘Oblivian,’ and ‘Aurora.’
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