Danish bohemian psych revivalists Black Light White Light first came across our radar with their 2011 debut album Infrared Daylight, channeling a blissed-out rock sound straight out of the 60s.
Three years later the group, fronted by the charismatic Martin Ejlersten, is set to deliver their highly anticipated follow up LP Gold Into Dreams on Denmark’s Target Records. The album, which is due out in the UK on 13th October (14th worldwide), will also be brought to our shores during a run of Black Light White Light UK shows later this year.
“The band has been rehearsing this morning,” Ejlersten revealed when we checked in with him recently, “Seems odd to start the day by playing rock and roll, but at the same time what better way to start your day than by rocking it off?”
That passion and excitement for their craft comes across in Black Light White Light’s music, and is particularly obvious to anyone who is lucky enough to make it to one of their shows.
“We wanna show people what we’ve got and that we mean it seriously,” the lead vocalist and guitarist said of his group’s attitude to performing live.
“We wanna give folks something good when they come to see us. I hope the folks will give us something good back then. That’s what it’s really all about isn’t it? Let’s give each other something good to take away all the bad at least for just a little while.”
Sentiments like this pervade Ejlersten’s songwriting, and Gold Into Dreams sees he and his band reach new heights of both emotion and power.
“It started back in mid 2012 when new ideas for songs were coming about,” the Danish rocker said of the new record.
“I went to a small cabin by the Swedish east coast for a couple of weekends to write intensely and solemnly. It’s a very creative process for me to be all alone and undisturbed by the world, to really dive into songs and lyrics.”
“I recorded around 20 demos and even more sketches. Some made it to this album. The demos were presented to the band and a little later to our producer Chris ‘Frenchie’ Smith, who flew over to Denmark to live and work with the band. We have been lucky to team up with some really cool and supportive people who have given a lot to this album, from the music on it to all that surrounds it.”
“Our Swedish/Danish engineer Jacob Andersson brought a truly positive and hard working spirit into the wonderful studio we recorded in. He got along really well with our producer and that team gave a lot of good and positive energy.
“We also were lucky enough to get Grammy Award-winning string arranger Davide Rossi on board… to work out some great strings for the track ‘And The Devil.’”
The first taste of the material from Gold Into Dreams arrived in the form of lead single ‘High Like a Hurricane’ (featured above), which has received some great airplay and reviews since it release back in June. Artrocker labeled the track “anthemic” and highly recommended readers pick up a copy.
“That songs seems to have broken new ground for us,” revealed Ejlersten, “It’s truly good to feel that people are picking up on the new stuff. That first single really captures what the new album is about, so if people like that I am pretty sure they’re gonna love the album too.”
The second single from the new album, ‘Operators’ is set to drop on 6th October and is described by Ejlersten as “a grandiose ballad with an ever building crescendo. A mixture of something gentle and introverted as well as expressive and powerful.”
With these two strong singles and the impressive album under their belt, Black Light White Light will treat UK fans to their brand new live show in a string of dates across the country in December.
“Playing live we like to take the songs to new places that haven’t been planned beforehand… just going with the flow and trusting the unspoken connection,” explained Ejlersten.
“That tripping feeling of playing music is much more alive on the new album, which makes it more experimental and spiky than the last album. I dig that.”
Gold Into Dreams is out in the UK on Monday 13th October through Target Records, and the following day worldwide. You can preorder a copy from Black Light White Light’s website.
Details of the band’s upcoming UK tour will be announced soon.
Written by Will Van de Pol
