“Were trying to capture something nostalgic and familiar in a way that hasn’t been done before”: The first look at Northlane’s new album, Anemoia

Northlane have just dropped their new single, CUT_it, firing the starting gun on their new chapter, which will see the Aussie metalcore crew releasing their seventh album on October 30.

Frontman Marcus Bridge says the new banger and video are “about burnout - the feeling of grinding through things when you're completely spent, mentally and physically. The imagery is deliberately visceral, painting a picture of that exhaustion rather than analysing it.”

It's a good starting point for the record and its themes. Speaking to K! ahead of the band's show at Bloodstock this Saturday, Marcus unpacks the album, where the band are at, and how the process has helped him grow as a person...

Where did the idea of Anemoia originate from?

“That actually came from a discussion Jon [Deiley, guitar] and our photographer were having on tour. It feels like a really good representation of the direction our music has gone. We are trying to capture something nostalgic and familiar, but also in a way that hasn't been done before. It does have those '90s and early 2000s electronic elements throughout, but blending that with what we're currently doing feels nostalgic in a way that we've not really experienced before.”

Can you pinpoint the nostalgia from that era that you specifically connect with?

“The Matrix had come out, The Prodigy were massive. It's funny, because we know that sound so well, but it was also while we were kids, so it wasn't so much going out and partying – it was the feeling and the vibe. The album definitely feels like a nostalgic walk down memory lane.”

You once poked fun at fans who say ‘I miss the old Northlane’ in the video for Echo Chamber. Does it feel powerful to reshape nostalgia – and especially flawed nostalgia – into new music and living in the present? You think of a lyric in the title-track: ‘While we grieve what never was / And we tell ourselves we had it all / Just stay here a moment’.

“Absolutely. That idea of wanting to hang onto something that might not be real or permanent, we definitely connect to that. It is very paradoxical. When you're in a moment and are aware that it's not something that's going to last forever, something that you are trying to seek out is to hang on to that feeling. Hanging on to that thing feels good. But in the end, it’s all confusing, isn’t it? It is meant to really encapsulate that feeling of something you've never experienced, while trying to soak that up and enjoy it for what it is.”

Indeed, in Start Again, you reiterate ‘I just want this moment to mean something’. So where does the new single CUT_it, and its themes of burnout and the struggle of grounding yourself in the present, fit into the picture of the record?

“I tried to lean a bit less on themes of depression and feeling burnt out on this record, but it is something that still will pop up from time to time, and you can't help it. It feels like an intentionally confused song, trying to navigate those feelings and also, through writing it, accept those feelings. In the past I was so stuck in a mental state where I thought things weren't ever going to be good, but this [also acknowledges] that's not a permanent feeling.”

Does that connect to the line ‘Come find me when it’s over’ in Evian, which implies that the tough times will eventually blow over?

“Absolutely. It's about being able to accept that there's things you need to sort out, but you want to fix them, grow and learn from them. Things aren't going to be fixed overnight, but you need to address them and know that it's possible to find an end to it. Playing that song [live], it feels like a different [version of] me, already. Before the album's even out, it feels like I'm almost past a lot of those feelings, and that does come with accepting all that and trying to move forward. It does feel like a very empowering song to play.”

Are all these themes related to particular life experiences, or is it more of a snapshot of the feelings you go through in your day-to-day life?

“A lot of that is through my relationships, whether that's with my friends or partner. It's important to take accountability, make steps to get better and fix what you can. You have to try your best to grow out of these habits or mental states that feel like, ‘I'm just going to be depressed and miserable forever.’ It's important to be there for your people, but also hold them accountable for things that they can change and things they can be better at. A lot of people in my life have stuck with me through stuff that I've dealt with personally, so it was important to address those themes.”

You candidly admitted there was tension in the band that you needed to talk through around your 2024 EP Mirror’s Edge. Once you figured that out, where did it leave the shared headspace going into this new album?

“Jon and I, we've both grown a lot since then and gave each other a bit more slack this time around. He's a little bit more open to outside ideas, and I'm also a bit more happy to follow his lead in some cases, and we're both getting to put ourselves into it the way we want to. Having Jordan Fish on board as well, that other voice outside of the band, also helped us find that middle ground.

“He's very aware of what we're trying to do, and he slots into [our vision] very seamlessly and isn't trying to overstep. He's like a kid in a candy store. He’s so willing to play and find things that excite him and feel right for us. There's always talk that Jordan has a particular sound, but he really blended in with what we're doing, and it doesn't feel like anything he's done with other bands before. He helped make the songs as powerful and palatable as they could be.”

Dayseeker feature on the title-track. It was quite hard to tell your voice apart from Rory Rodriguez’s at times, and you also explore some intriguing R&B-style cadences in the verses. Vocally, what were you going for on that song?

“That’s a very big compliment, because Rory’s got one of the best voices in the game! In the beginning, it was a lot more of a stripped-back, ambient, electronic song. It felt important to feel a bit more tame and delicate. I think that’s how we ended up hitting slightly more of the R&B vocal technique. But getting Rory on that brought a whole other feeling to it, when we get to the last chorus and we’re both singing at full voice and really going for it.

“It’s about a [situation] where you’re very aware that maybe the relationship isn’t the best. It’s not serving either of you to be leading your best life, but the feelings you have in those moments, they’re euphoric, they make you feel a certain way and it almost feels dangerous. Wrong, but also right at the same time, which I also thought was an interesting angle on Anemoia, connecting to something you probably shouldn’t pursue, but also enjoying it in the moment. It’s a really interesting way to sum up Anemoia in a way that isn’t just about being nostalgic for 2000s electronic music.”

Anemoia is released on October 30 independently/via Immortal Music Group. Northlane tour the UK with Dayseeker from November 28.