New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Seattle's Museum Of Light have revealed "Born All Wrong," the third single off their upcoming sophomore album Diviner, set for release on March 14 via Spartan Records. The 11-track LP was produced by Scott Evans (Sumac, Thrice, Kowloon Walled City)..
Drummer Rob Smith says, "As with much of Diviner, "Born All Wrong" is a continuation of all the things that interested us on our first record, just taken further. The heavy stuff is heavier, the pretty stuff is prettier, and the weird stuff is weirder. The song dives into some of the expanded sonic palette that sets this record apart from Horizon. Here, we used a new, lower tuning, replaced some of the synth parts with a human voice (Elissa Alvarez, who is all over this record), and even mixed in some of the crashing waves and sea birds we heard outside the studio window as we worked. The big riff that anchors the first half of the song was written several years ago when we were between bassists. So, we were leaning more on huge, monolithic ideas that sounded good with the guitar running through both guitar and bass amps at the same time. As one of the older songs on the album, we weren't sure if if was going to make the cut, but as soon as we heard playbacks in the studio, we all had the same thought: 'well, that's definitely making the record."
Museum Of Light's sound blends crushing, heavy swagger with ethereal, sparkling melodies, creating a dynamic, otherworldly atmosphere that combines raw intensity with haunting, operatic vocals and poetic, existential lyrics.
Catch Museum Of Light on tour in March/April:
3/22 - Seattle, WA (Record Release Show) - Substation w/ with Serial Hawk and Heldscalla
4/10 - Spokane, WA - Big Dipper w/ DUG
4/11 - Seattle, WA - Bad Bar w/ DUG + Constant Lovers
4/12 - Portland, OR - High Water Mark w/ DUG + Spares + Hiss
4/13 - Bend, OR - Webfoot Garage w/ DUG
Diviner Track Listing:
1. Body
2. Blunt Force Drama
3. Get Paid
4. Above You
5. Undone
6. The Known World
7. Still Running
8. Kneel
9. Born All Wrong
10. Diviner
11. Breathe
Every band lucky enough to get to make a second record learns the journey there comes with a thousand hard choices. Double down on a sound that worked so far? Undertake wild-hair experiments to escape narrow boxes? Or let the weight of expectations inside and out paralyze you? All of the above plus more, if we're honest—a lot can get in the way of "just make a rad record you can be proud of."
For Seattle's Museum Of Light, the path to Diviner became clear at Ocean Sound. Set against stony peaks and icy fjords on the island of Giske, Norway, the turf-roofed studio's setting let everyone involved bask in the kind of mythic landscapes that always served as a kind of closet influence for the band. Turns out inspiration is easy to come by when it's nudged along by a walk down a wind-raked coastline or a night spent tracking with hallucinogenic auroras dancing in the sky. It wasn't always comfy: Each day began with a cold plunge in the Norwegian Sea, as prescribed by returning producer extraordinaire Scott Evans (Sumac, Thrice, Kowloon Walled City).
These methods yielded a record that stomps with heavy, crushing swagger while sheltering the hollows of sparkling melody and hushed breath that set Museum Of Light apart. Going beyond the blueprint of their debut Horizon would've been impossible without the addition of new bassist and certified Tøne Lörd Jeff Bartlett, who dug up the bones of the earth and somehow strapped them to rosewood. Singer Elissa Alvarez both channeled and defied decades of opera training to transform into a beyond-human choir that gives Diviner its ethereal soul. And award-winning poet Amelia Urry gifted the record its pulse with haunting words about the slippery nature of existing in a lost world.
In the end, "making a rad record you can be proud of" was all that Museum Of Light set out to do — international twists and turns be damned. We think they got there. Listen for yourself.
