THE NORTHERN LIGHT – AS STARS BURN

Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from The Northern Light. We previously reviewed their track, Waiting For The Flood: a superb Scorpions-feeling Classic Rock Track, so we were excited to hear their latest, As Stars Burn, released today, January 13, 2023.

The Northern Light hail from Seattle, US, and are David Pollon (songwriting, guitars, vocals), Kip Rondorf (drums) and Carl Larsson (bass).

As Stars Burn starts gently but soon adds some beautifully clear bass and drums which give the track a great rock feel and make you excited to hear how it is going to progress. The kick drum is present and thumps through perfectly right in your chest. There are some gloriously understated fills throughout the track.

The bass guitar is a real feature of this track and Larsson displays some spectacular skills and techniques here as the bass weaves in and out, creating its own melodies and often being the featured instrument in the track. At one point there is a wonderfully flowing bass solo which leads into a rocking guitar solo, reminiscent of the Scorpions. It feels as though real thought has been given to everyone’s place in this talented trio and both bass and drums are given as much opportunity to shine as Pollon on vocals and guitars.

We love the occasional delays used on the vocals with Pollon sounding just a touch like Neil Young in places and a slight hint of Nick Cave in the lower notes.

The song rises and falls superbly, maintaining an exciting listen throughout and ending with a slightly unresolved sus2 chord. This is a track that makes you instantly want to hit repeat.

Ideas from our ears

A small EQ cut in the guitars in the chorus would reduce some ‘honky’ tones and give some more space and clarity to the vocal tracks. A small cut around 6kHz in the drum overheads would reduce an occasional harsh tone coming from the hi-hats too. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.

Final thoughts

We have no doubt fans of Canadian alt-rock will simply adore this track. With Classic Rock influences and a touch of Rush and Neil Young, what’s not to love?