PRIDELANS

“WE’RE RIGHT WHERE WE WANT TO BE AND WE’RE MAKING MUSIC THAT WE WANT TO MAKE ”

PRIDELANDS

BY GUSTAVO TOZZI PHOTOGRAPHY PROMOTION

As connoisseurs of good music, we are more than used to hearing two vocalists sharing the melodic lines, but with the Australian band Pridelands this vocal division transcends expectations. This statement can be seen on the debut album “Light Bends” by Sharptone Records. With ten years on the road, you ask yourself: why did it take so long to release the first full? Like every band, “given the change they’ve gone through in terms of lineup”, these guys make sure they’re where they want to be. Formed by the vocals of Joshua Cory and Mason Bunt, Liam Fowler (guitar), Daniel Larry (bass) and Joseph Lipsham (drums), the quintet talked to Rock

Meeting about this new play and what they want from now on. Follow up!

With almost 10 years on the road and two EPs released, Pridelands presents its debut album, “Light Bends”. What is your assessment of the band’s trajectory?

It’s kind of hard to answer that question, given how much change we’ve gone through as a band in terms of lineups, ambitions, commitments and lifestyle etc. So, I’d say despite it taking as long as it has to get to our debut album, we wouldn’t change it. We’re right where we want to be and we’re making music that we want to make, so it’s all about moving forward with that kind of ambition behind us.

Music is an instrument of feelings, and “Light Bends” is a reflection of that, there are 11 songs that tell stories and life experiences. In the midst of the pandemic, is this album a mirror of the uncertainties of that period?

Not exactly. Most of the songs were written before that, but they were designed to be interpreted differently. One meaning for me can be parallel but opposite to another person’s as they listen to the record. I don’t subscribe to the idea that everything we write has to be interpreted in the way that we wrote it. That’s not to say intent isn’t important, but we want people to be engaged in their own way when they listen to our record.

The song “The Walls” is intense from start to finish. It brings a balance between chaos and calm and this is

clear in the vocals. With more than 170k plays, did you imagine it would have such a repercussion among listeners?

Interestingly enough, that one seemed to be timed well with the whole pandemic issue coming up. The song was at its core about facing adversity and the constant beatings that you must endure before overcoming it and battling with those feelings of futility the whole time, but the literal interpretation of the metaphor of these ‘walls’, at a time of mass lockdowns and such was timely I suppose. It was a crazy coincidence that we released that song during such times when you consider how long before it was written.

“The Lake of Twisted Limbs” is one of the highlights of “Light Bends”. There is complexity and melancholy that surrounds an individual who is on the verge of self-destruction. What message do you leave for the listener who identifies with the theme?

The message behind that song is a feeling, rather than a literal message itself. It’s about that unspoken pain and trauma that creeps into relationships that can either be silenced or does the silencing. It’s our intent that people draw from their own tragedy to apply meaning to that song. It is good to embrace the memories of these feelings in retrospect, so that we may learn from them and see how far we have come as people.

“Heavy Tongue” is perhaps one of the heaviest tracks on “Light Bends”, it’s energetic until the end. It is also one of the sounds in which Mason appears more than

in other songs with the screams. What is it like for you to work with two distinguished and extremely talented vocalists?

Working with Mason is a dream come true all the time. He has blown me away with his abilities since we were kids and I never expected that I’d still be making music with him all these years later. We’ve been singing together for so long that it all just feels so symbiotic now. We’ve become two sides of the one coin, and I love that.

“Antipathy” is one of the most visceral tracks in “Light Bends”. In an interview, Josh said that the song was written to take away the negative emotions they had during the time, especially anger. Got it?

Yeah, I suppose all of the songs are meant to have that effect of catharsis on both us and the listener. Being able to voice so many suppressed emotions and project

them onto a song is really special and it helps to let go of the more difficult and challenging things in life. Feelings of bitterness and frustration are never good things to hold onto and writing and listening to music that brings those into the light is a good way to start letting them go.

With shows scheduled in Australia, how is the return to the stage after the most acute crisis of the pandemic? Thank you very much and success always! Greetings from Brazil.

The return to live music has been blissful. I for one didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until I was on a stage again. We’ve become so accustomed to this new way of life that I never considered how it would feel once we went back to what could be considered normal. I’m just glad that we can start looking toward the future and that we have a finished record to share with the world wherever we go. Hopefully that will include Brazil in the not-so-distant future!