Illiterate Light explores raw emotion on new album Arches
The Virginia duo unveils a dynamic mix of gritty indie rock, neo-psychedelia, and folk on their newest album, Arches, out now via Thirty Tigers.
Produced by: Illiterate Light and Danny Gibney, except ‘All the Stars are Burning Out’ and ‘Blood Lines’ which were produced by Joe Chiccarelli.
Refusing to fit within any single label, Arches embodies a freewheeling approach to genre classification. The album traverses a wide emotional and sonic spectrum, from musings on love and identity to gritty social commentary. True to their unpredictable nature, Arches opens with the provocative line “fake tits and diet coke,” while tracks like ‘Norfolk Southern’ tackle environmental tragedy with biting candor. Together, singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer Jake Cochran combine raucous guitars, thunderous drums, and harmony-laden melodies to capture the vivid energy of their live performances.
Recorded at Gorman’s home studio in Appalachia and at the storied Sunset Sound in Hollywood with Joe Chiccarelli, Arches strikes a balance between DIY experimentation and polished studio production. According to Gorman, recording at Sunset was “unreal,” describing the experience as akin to walking among his musical heroes. The California sessions, balanced with sessions back in Virginia with longtime collaborator Danny Gibney, resulted in a record that mirrors the band’s dualities: raw yet refined, gritty yet uplifting. Local friends even sat in on the Virginia sessions, adding a communal energy to the recording process that mirrors the live-show atmosphere the duo has become known for.
Describing their genre-defying style, Gorman reflects, “We’ve always been shape shifters, moving between heavy, dark distortion and gentle sweet fingerpicking…smashing it all together used to feel strange, but now there’s a glue between everything we do.” This ethos permeates Arches, with each track equally essential to the album’s sprawling yet cohesive landscape.
Front and center in Arches are the heavier tracks like ‘I Ride Alone’ and ‘Blood Lines,’ which evoke the frenzied energy of a live show, with fans swaying and singing along. ‘Norfolk Southern’ emerges as the album’s powerful keystone. In the song, Gorman cries, “Here comes the Norfolk Southern / It’s off the tracks / and heading for you,” as Cochran joins in with rhythmic chants of “break, break, break, break,” alluding to the tragic 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that released toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. As Gorman describes, “Some days I feel just like that Norfolk Southern, barreling out of control at warp speed,” hinting at his struggles with balance and control.
In Arches, Illiterate Light delivers an album that speaks to the volatility of life and the power of resilience. With each song, they invite listeners to join them in the emotional archway, moving fluidly between catharsis and connection.
Standout Songs: ‘All The Stars Are Burning Out,’ ‘Montauk,’ ‘Norfolk Southern’ and ‘Blood Lines.’
Release Date: November 1
6.4
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