The Mandevilles watch Fading Colors In The Northern Lights in their grounded new single and video — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“Lyrically, it’s a bit ambiguous,” lead vocalist Serena Pryne nods, “but I love songs that leave room for the listener to make up their own minds about the story. For me, the song is about learning to let things roll off your back, and tuning out the bullshit. It’s about letting go of senselessness, and of things that hurt your focus — like having the same argument over and over with someone. The main melody fell into my head when we were loading out after a show one night,” she recalls. “I sang it to myself for a few days; ‘something something morning light’ … It finally came together in a session a couple of weeks later, and the words Northern Lights just rolled off the tongue perfectly.”
But for The Mandevilles, the song really a mix of air and water. “Fading Colors In The Northern Lights is our interpretation of a sea shanty,” claim the band — rounded out by guitarist Nick Lesyk, synth/guitarist Taylor Laslo, bassist Dan Risi and drummer Brett Bendo. “We were plowing through the rum and channelling that epic scene in The Goonies when Captain One Eyed Willy’s ship is freed back into the ocean … We went hard with hand claps and kicked the shit out of a homemade stomp box.” On top of that, the band’s layered ‘guitarmonies’ give this song a dark, pulsating rhythm, with especially triumphant guitar styling in the bridge and outro. “Sonically, Nick was mimicking what a horn section might do to break the tension that builds through the whole song,” they explain. “Think Biffy Clyro or Big Country.”
Fading Colors In The Northern Lights follows this year’s previous single, Lightning, as well as 2020’s trifecta of offerings, Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart, You Feel Like Nothing and Junkie. The new song is also a preview of the tenured band’s forthcoming third album release. “It’s been more than five years since the release of our last record,” The Mandevilles share. “The songs on this record have been in the making for the better part of two years. We took our time because we wanted to; the writing, recording, and production process has never felt so natural.
“We cultivated such an amazing working and personal friendship with our co-producer, Neil Morrissey and his former bandmate, Ryan Defoe, during that time as well; Neil and Ryan’s style of writing and arrangement was very similar to ours, so it was an instant connection. The record features a lot of experimentation,” they continue. “We got to stretch our repertoire out, and really get to use everyone’s abilities in a way we haven’t before. The songs really came to life because nobody knew what was about to happen. You’ll hear a difference — but know that everything you hear was thought of, and is there because we wanted it to be.”
Watch Fading Colors In The Northern Lights above, hear more from The Mandevilles below, and keep up with them on their website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
