When I first heard the Spotlights 2017 album Seismic, I immediately was floored. The combination of shoegaze, doom metal and sludge was just what I needed at the time. And Seismic found it’s way into my top 5 albums of 2017. Fast forward to 2019 and Spotlights have released their new album Love & Decay. Not straying too far from where they left off, Love & Decay continues on the path they laid out with their previous releases only this album goes deeper into that sound.
The album starts off with a sonic explosion that is “Continue The Capsize.” This mood setting song pulls you in just like an album opener should. As the album continues, the crunchy guitars, fuzzed bass, dreamy synth layers, pummelling drums and soft vocals, give Love and Decay the sound for all these songs to come to life. Songs like “The Particle Noise,” “Far From Falling,” “Until The Bleeding Stops,” “Xerox,” and “The Age Of Decay” emit all those elements and then some. Then you have a song like “Mountains Ar Forever” that is a bit of a departure yet still is Spotlights through and through. This experimentation gives the album a needed right turn. Closing out the album is “The Beauty Of Forgetting.” This song continues the experimentation path by adding in some haunting acoustic guitars, underlying industrial style beats and thunderous bass to really drive home the end of this album.
Love and Decay is exactly what Spotlights sound like, only this time around, they stepped up the heavy and added a level of melody to help propel the songs to new heights. The one thing about this album is that at times, it feels like the songs are just a shade too long. It’s like when you watch a film and think that certain parts could have been cut down to get to the point faster. Other than that, Love and Decay is a killer record. Mario Quintero (guitars/vocals/production), Sarah Quintero (bass/vocals) and Chris Enriquez (drums) have formed an exquisite bond as a three piece and they sound like there are at least eight people in this band. Love and Decay is the type of album that with more and more listens you will find more to love and be drawn deeper in. It’s also worth noting that, having seen Spotlights live before, I just know these new songs are going to tear the roofs off of venues and leave audiences in awe.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Spotlights- Love and Decay:
audioeclectica 