Spotlights have some serious fire power behind them: They're signed to Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings label, and the Deftones and Melvins have handpicked them as tour mates in the past. They also have one of Revolver's own among their ranks: our Brand Partnership Director, Chris Enriquez, on drums. All of which is to say, when Spotlights drop new music, we pay attention.
Their latest in the single "Algorithmic," the first taste of the group's upcoming album, Alchemy for the Dead. A doom-laden fever dream, the slow-burning cut shifts between shoegazing haziness and high-volume tectonics. Stream it above via its accompanying lyric video.
"For me, the song has a religious theme to it," vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mario Quintero commented of "Algorithmic." "It touches on the story of resurrection and afterlife in this one narrative, while wondering, does any of it really matter?"
Of the album writ large, he said: "Our focus when making this record was to not repeat ourselves. I think we achieved our goal. Though we're proud of all our releases, making just another 'Spotlights' album wasn't an option. Pushing our own boundaries while creating something cathartic, yet strangely suffocating, with new sounds and textures as well as more personal and self-reflective themes, this album feels like a new fork in the path for us. Hopefully the listeners will follow."
Alchemy for the Dead is due out April 28 via Ipecac Recordings and available for pre-order now. Spotlights also have a slew of shows scheduled for 2023, including dates on the Ipecac Geek Show with labelmates Mr. Bungle and the Melvins — check out their full itinerary below.
Spotlights 2023 tour dates:
April 26 Pittsburgh, PA Club Café
April 27 Grand Rapids, MI Pyramid Scheme
April 28 Chicago, IL Subterranean Downstairs
April 29 Tolono, IL Loose Cobra
April 30 St. Louis, MO Red Flag
May 1 Kansas City, MO Mini Bar
May 3 Denver, CO Hi Dive
May 4 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
May 6 Sacramento, CA Club Colonial
May 7 San Francisco, CA Winters Tavern
May 11 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium*
May 12 San Diego, CA Tower Bar
May 14 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues*
May 16 Denver, CO Mission Ballroom*
May 17 Salt Lake City, UT Union Event Center*
May 19 Seattle, WA Showbox*
May 20 Seattle, WA Showbox*
May 21 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom*
May 23 Oakland, CA Fox Theater*
May 24 Oakland, CA Fox Theater*
May 27 Denton, TX Dan's Silverleaf
May 28 Austin, TX Hotel Vegas
May 30 Tulsa, OK Whittier Bar
May 31 Shreveport, LA Bear's
June 1 Little Rock, AR Mutants Fest
June 2 Nashville, TN Drkmttr
June 3 Atlanta, GA The Earl
June 4 Gainesville, FL The Backyard
June 9 Miami, FL Gramp's
June 10 Tampa, FL The Orpheum
June 11 Orlando, FL TBA
June 13 Columbia, SC TBA
June 14 Charlotte, NC Snug Harbor
June 15 Asheville, NC The Odd
June 16 Knoxville, TN The Pilot Light
June 17 Louisville, KY Kaiju Bar
June 18 Columbus, OH Big Room Bar
June 21 Harrisonburg, VA The Golden Pony
June 22 Baltimore, MD Metro Gallery
June 23 Philadelphia, PA Ortlieb's
June 24 Brooklyn, NY Saint Vitus
*-Ipecac Geek Show performances
Birdhands open on dates between April 27th to May 1st. Rile open from May 3rd to May 6th. Dates between May 11th and 24th with Mr. Bungle and the Melvins.
