Track By Track: Pridelands Reveal the Messages Behind Each Song on Their Debut Album ‘Light Bends’ 

By: Jessica Nakamoto –

Building a foundation, setting the stage, and making oneself heard. A debut album is a chance for a young band to deliver a knockout statement. For breakout Australian metal outfit Pridelands however, it was impossible to be satisfied with just one.

Challenging themselves to take a multi-faceted approach to their first full-length record, vocalists Joshua Cory and Mason Bunt, guitarist Liam Fowler, bassist Daniel Lohrey, and drummer Joe Lipsham, instead approached Light Bends with the goal that each song be able to stand firmly on its own two feet.

Mixed by renowned producer George Lever (Sleep Token, Loathe) and mastered by Ermin Hamidovic (Architects, Northlane, Periphery), the eleven-song collection is packed with surprises and dynamic shifts – every track a new blend of heavy screams and dreamy tones mingled with its own unique set of inspiration.  

Want to learn more about the messages behind the music? Make sure to check out the new track by track from the band below and stream Light Bends, available now via SharpTone Records.

I REACH INTO YOUR HEART 

We’ve found ourselves in a position where we must endure the environmental problems we’ve inherited from the mistakes of our ancestors. This song’s chorus lyrics represent our desire to reach into the “heart” of the planet, “to try and start it over”. If there were suddenly no humans on Earth, would our planet heal?

THE WALLS 

You never know what you’re capable of until you dive in headfirst and just go for it,” shares vocalist/lyricist Joshua Cory, “when you throw yourself up against this brick wall time and time again, only for it to finally crumble before you.” Will you give in to these challenges or make a breakthrough, welcoming metamorphosis? The fragmented lyrical phrases towards the end of “The Walls” represent the whispering forces of doubt we all struggle to silence along the way.

PARALLEL LINES

“Parallel Lines” charts the mad rush of love, from lust to obsession, before it all comes crashing down. Learning to let go of a lover when the chemistry’s pure magic is never easy (“…it’s hard to bend when we’re parallel lines”), but sometimes we get so blinded by desire that we lose sight of what we need. 

PARTED TIME

Hailing from a small town, Pridelands didn’t always feel like their dreams and ambitions for the band were supported by so-called friends at the time. It can certainly hurt when you’re reminded of how out of reach some dreams may seem. However, since their move to Melbourne, Pridelands are fast turning their dreams into reality: “I’m not here for your approval anymore.” 

THE LAKE OF TWISTED LIMBS

“The Lake Of Twisted Limbs” is a metaphor for feeling as though you are standing still while the Earth spins out of control around you. It’s about feeling powerless. Written from the perspective of someone who’s trying to bring a loved one back from the brink of despair, this song concludes with a realisation that, when all is said and done, we can only take care of #1. 

SAFER HERE

This song’s title is a direct reference to “the Old Blood” from Bloodborne and how its misuse brought about the destruction of Yarnham, the city in which this action role-playing game is set. “Safer Here” represents the cost of foolishness, with lyrics (“Will they revoke my eyes?”) echoing Bloodborne’s concept that curiosity can be pushed to the point of human sacrifice. 

HEAVY TONGUE

The lead single from Light Bends, “Heavy Tongue” shines a harsh spotlight on the corruption and mismanagement of the devastating bushfires that raged through Australia from 2019 to 2020: “By the time that you accept/ That we’re on fire/ The midnight oil spills out from the urn/ But all our beds are damned to burn away.”

ANTIPATHY

Unexpressed frustration and anger tend to fester, manifesting physically into illness and depression. We must instead try to recognise the depth of our feelings, process and then express these real emotions rather than trying to remain stoic and denying their very existence.

TRANSLUCENT BLUES

“This song is particularly personal for Liam,” Cory reveals, since Fowler’s grandfather Elias is addressed within lyrical content. An open letter to the grandfather Fowler never had a chance to meet, “Translucent Blues” also delves into hereditary substance abuse issues. “Translucent Blues” is as much about what we find in ourselves as it is about what we have lost,” Cory says. 

EVERGROWTH

“Evergrowth” navigates a suffocating relationship: “Under bouquets of affection/ You’re smothering me.” This song’s title references The Evergrowth from World Of Warcraft. 

THE SUN WILL FIND US

“The Sun Will Find Us” describes a dark, dystopian future (“children hanging by their toes”) with the sun going supernova an omnipresent threat. Would we rather suffer together in the darkness, choosing a life of ignorance, than deal with the harsh light of truth? “We need to hide, because the sun will find us here.” Ultimately, there’s no escaping the truth: the selfish actions of our ancestors will already cause our future generations wrongful harm.