Northern Light Exposure

Indie post punk revivalists Northern Light Exposure formed in London in early 2014. Their name - inspired, in part, by the aurora borealis - aptly describes their atmospheric multi-layered post rock, while their sound nods to their forefathers: the likes of the Doves, Interpol, and Editors. Songwriter and guitarist Andrew Glen and Tom Cavanagh met through an online music forum (long gone, sadly, are the days of responding to dusty ads in the back of Loop and NME), and founded the band off the back of a shared love of 80s bands Echo & the Bunnymen, The Sound, and single malt whisky. Indie post punk revivalists, Northern Light Exposure, formed in London in early 2014. Inspired by the aurora borealis, their name aptly tags their atmospheric multi-layered post rock, while their sound nods to their forefathers: the likes of the Doves, Interpol, and Editors. Songwriter and guitarist Andrew Glen and Tom Cavanagh originally met through an online music forum and founded the band off the back of a shared love of 80s bands Echo & the Bunnymen, The Sound, and single malt whisky. Prior to forming the full line up, Glen self released what would be their debut – a five track mini album entitled ‘The Liar’s Chair’s. The strength of his songwriting soon caught the attention of bassist Lee Anne Burgess and drummer Greg Zielinski to complete the bands rhythm section. Perfecting their sound slowly, they sought out to find their own rehearsal space taking up residency in a basement in Greenwich that they acquired off of the dream pop duo ‘Still Corners’. Later that same year, and now with a handful of new songs under their belts, they turned to producer Pat Collier – the mastermind behind the sound of so many of the bands that inspired them, including; The House of Love, and Jesus & Marychain – to produce their next single ‘Embers’ which they released that October. Confiding once more in Collier, they once again returned to his Perry Vale studios in South East London to record their next EP ‘An Honest Way of Living’. With this collection of songs they wanted to explore the possibilities of injecting pacier, darker tones into the music to contrast from the sunnier sounds of ‘Embers’. The shift from major to minor key brought with it droning guitars, pulsating synths, and thunderous drums, while still retaining the icy riffs of Cavanagh’s guitar work, the moody melancholic baritone of Glen’s melodies, and Burgess glowering basslines. An Honest Way of Living is set for release in January 2016. The newly formed Northern Light Exposure sought out their own rehearsal space, taking up residency in a basement owned by the dream-pop duo Still Corners. The idea was to take their time, perfecting their sound slowly. Here they would go on to flesh out NLE’s sound even further with the arrival of multi-instrumentalist Adam O’Shea on keyboards and backing vocals. Later in 2014, with a clutch of new songs under their belts, they turned to producer Pat Collier – the mastermind behind the sound of so many of the bands that inspired them, including The House of Love and The Jesus & Mary Chain – to produce their first single ‘Embers’, released in October of that year. With a solid live set in place, they were just ready to take their widescreen sound to the stage, when sought-after session drummer McKenzie had to step down due to a demanding touring schedule with another band. It wasn’t long before they found a replacement in new arrival Greg Zielinski. With a fresh perspective and a new horizon, the band played their first gig at the New Cross Inn in April 2015. Confiding again in Collier, the band returned to his Perry Vale studios in South East London to record their next EP ‘An Honest Way of Living’. With this collection of songs, they wanted to inject pacier, darker tones into the music, in contrast with the sunnier skies of their last single ‘Embers’. The shift from major to minor key brought with it droning guitars, pulsating synths, and thunderous drums, while still retaining the icy riffs of Cavanagh’s guitar work, the moody melancholic baritone of Glen’s melodies, and Davies’ glowering basslines. An Honest Way of Living will go on general release in August 2015. Wrapped up in a sound that recalls the Doves, Editors, and Echo & the Bunnymen, NLE draw them all together in to something taut, shimmering and cinematic.