After quickly ascending to the top of the food chain in Australian hardcore with their exceptional second album, 2013’s Singularity, things came to a screeching halt for Sydney’s Northlane when vocalist Adrian Fitipaldes abruptly announced his departure from the band in the second half of 2014. This could well have spelled the end for Northlane, who at the time were reeling in rave reviews, enviable chart positions and international recognition.
A mere matter of months later, they bounced back – and, according to one of the band’s surviving members, such a fate was almost predetermined.
“Anyone who’s been through any hardship in their life will tell you that the only way through adversity is to see opportunity in the worst things that happen to you,” says Josh Smith, one of the band’s two guitarists as well as its primary lyricist. “We weren’t ready to give this up – not in the slightest. We wanted to continue on. We weren’t going to let what happened slow us down. It ended up being a great opportunity for us. We matched up where we all wanted to take the music next with the voice that would help us get there. We scoured the globe looking for that voice, and we found it in Marcus.”
The Marcus being alluded to is Bridge, the former lead singer of Sydney band Sound Of Seasons, who uploaded a video of himself singing Northlane’s song ‘Dream Awake’ to YouTube and was ultimately chosen out of literally thousands of applicants to become the band’s new vocalist. Northlane recently completed their first album with Bridge – and their third overall – entitled Node. Along with Bridge’s debut, Node marks the first time the lyrics have been handled entirely by Smith, who formerly shared the role with Fitipaldes. Rather than buckle under pressure, Smith took the challenge head on – just as he has done with everything thrown in Northlane’s direction.
“It definitely has a more outward view,” he says of Node’s lyrics. “I wanted the lyrics to be more easily relatable to people and to cover a broader range of topics. It’s a narrative of how I see the world, but it’s also got an overwhelming message of self-empowerment. It’s something that I think is so important – the reassurance that you as a person can make change a possibility. Often we feel really insignificant when it comes to the bigger issues, as if nothing we do can make a difference. I’m of the belief that one person can change things. People need to realise that they have that power within themselves.”
Three songs have been released from the album thus far, the most recent of which is the call to arms, ‘Leech’. It’s a song that makes no bones about its targets – as well as the things that it is trying to shield.
“Growing up, I never really cared in environmental preservation,” Smith begins. “Perhaps ‘cared’ isn’t the right word – I guess I just wasn’t really aware of what was going on for a long time. That changed a few years back – I feel like right now, in Australia, the importance of preserving our natural resources is becoming a backseat issue for our politicians. People are having to make a difference independent of our government, and I can’t stress the importance of it.”
In the song’s lyrics, one will find the line, “You feel asleep while your bed burned,” which alludes to Midnight Oil’s momentous single ‘Beds Are Burning’. Smith adds that while the reference was intentional, it was not to flatter the man who once sang those words. “Obviously, the original song is about a very different topic, but I decided to kind of flip it to acknowledge just how disappointed I am in Peter Garrett. His initial stances when he was in that band were so progressive and so bold … just look at him now. Where are his values? The worst part is that he’s not the only one. Politics is a game that can corrupt minds. It’s systemic. It drags people away from the real problems at hand.”
Node is set to do very big things for Northlane, and a sizable Australian tour is on the verge of being announced. It’s all moved incredibly fast for a band that found itself without its figurehead and spokesperson not one year ago. Smith has been suitably impressed at the way Bridge has handled entering the role – especially considering it was not one he was eased into gently.
“It was a huge challenge for him at first,” he says. “The first tour he did was 23 dates straight. He didn’t lose his voice once, even though he got really sick toward the end. The dude’s a pro. He knows how to use his voice as well as maintain it. I think he’s risen to the challenge, just as we all have.”
So, after several lineup changes over the years, does Smith believe that Northlane are set in stone from here on in? “Absolutely. I think what he can do with his voice – as well as what we can do with his voice – can only get better as we develop from here. We’re all absolutely certain about the choices we’ve made – not only in continuing this band, but in choosing Marcus to join us. There’s no going back now.”
Northlane’s Node is out Friday July 24 through UNFD.
