"Eats the Light," the new single from Lotus, features the band's classic propulsive sound with a dramatic leap forward in songwriting. Frequent collaborator, Gabe Otto, joins on lead vocals, pairing perfectly with the bubbling analog synths and driving groove inspired by early-80s Talking Heads. Themes of technologic-fueled paranoia run through the lyrics inhabiting a world oversaturated by bright screens that obscure all else. The relentless beat resolves to a psychedelic half-time groove; eventually, the harsh artificial light does dim.
"We wanted a timeless sound to the song, so we kept stripping down layers to keep a very live arrangement and the mixing was approached in the same way," says bassist/writer Jesse Miller.
Recreating the energy of a live Lotus show in the studio has always been difficult, but "Eats the Light" captures that electricity.
As for the upcoming album, Miller tells Billboard, “The main focus was to go towards things that were definitely dancey and really hooky, and as far as the arrangement kind of simplify things and go towards pretty classic song structures but definitely keeping that Lotus groove that kind of goes through all our music, no matter what styles the songs are in."
Also of note, Billboard confirms the new release will feature vocals on each track. "We just wanted to have an album that felt unified in that way," says Miller, who writes Lotus' material with his brother, keyboardist Luke Miller. "We like writing songs for singers, but since it's not a big part of our live show it's never something that we've ever gone all in on for a full album. To me it felt like natural progression from other things we're doing. It's not that much different than bringing somebody in to play a saxophone. You can still hear that Lotus sound; It never feels to me like it's Lotus featuring somebody else."
The band hits the road tonight on its winter tour starting at Philadelphia’s Electric Factory. A complete list of dates is below.
Lotus is composed of Mike Greenfield (Drums), Jesse Miller (Bass, Sampler), Luke Miller (Guitar, Keys), Mike Rempel (Guitar) and Chuck Morris (Percussion).
Lotus On Tour
January
29 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
30 - Syracuse, NY - F Shed at the Market
31 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
February
2 - Portland, ME - State Theatre
3 - So. Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
4 - Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
5 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
6 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
9 - Charlottesville, VA - The Jefferson Theater
10 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
11 - Richmond, VA - The National
12 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
13 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
16 - Morgantown, WV - Mainstage Morgantown
17 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
18 - St Louis, MO - The Pageant
19 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
20 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
23 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
24 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
25 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
26 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
27 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
March
4-6 - Okeechobee, FL - Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
