Lightning Bolt

Known for their frenzied, hysteria-inducing live shows, the absolutely immortal Providence noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt return to SPACE for the first time since 2017.

Lightning Bolt play with abandon that is unmatched and remarkably undiluted since the

duo’s formation 25 years ago. They are often called one of the loudest rock outfits in

existence, both on record and on (or famously, off) the stage. Brian Gibson creates sounds

that are unexpected and remarkably varied with his virtuosic bass playing and his inventive

approach to the instrument, centered around melody rather than rhythm. The dizzying fury

of Brian Chippendale’s drums twist from primal patterns into disorienting break beats as

his distorted, looped, and echoing vocals weave more melody into the mayhem. Amidst

the fray there has always been shreds of a pop songs discernible in the eye of every

Lightning Bolt song. For their seventh full length, Sonic Citadel, Gibson and Chippendale

have done the daring, stripping away some of the distortion mask to reveal the naked pop

forms as never before. Their relentless energy, inventiveness and, unrestrained joy still

drive their songs, pulling you in and compelling you to bounce and yes, even sing along.

Over their career Lightning Bolt’s incomparable sound has been built on the ebb and flow

between the power of raw, unbridled simplicity and a boundless, childlike sense of wonder.

Sonic Citadel marks the duo’s most varied and diverse work since their seminal album

Wonderful Rainbow, exploring a large breadth of emotions between and within each song.

Gibson and Chippendale again recorded with Seth Manchester at the esteemed Machines

With Magnets to capture the abandon of their music with clarity and Gibson’s incredible

dynamic range clearly to make the record as visceral an experience as their live

performances. The pummeling “Blow To The Head” and swirling “Van Halen 2049”

bookend the album with two of the most ferocious songs in the band’s catalogue, with the

former built as a Black Pus (Brian Chippendale’s solo outlet) track on steroids. In stark

contrast, songs like “Don Henley In The Park,” and “All Insane” take on almost conventional

pop shapes despite being entirely spontaneous pieces crafted in the studio. “Hüsker

Dön’t” too defies expectations as one of the poppiest songs in their discography with a

chugging but clear chord progression and some of Chippendale’s least distorted vocals.

These wildly varying approaches are a testament to the duo’s immeasurable capacity to

explore new sonic territory organically, and largely through improvisation.

For the bulk of Lightning Bolt’s work together, they have slowly molded improvised jams

which sometimes take years to develop on the road. The song “Halloween 3” may sound

familiar to fans who have seen the band live in the last 15 years, and is named after a

popular video of the duo performing an early version of the song. Sonic Citadel, however,

also prominently features songs which began as solo recordings, be it a Black Pus 4-track

recording or a series of looped bass figures from Gibson. In the four years between album

releases, each member’s increasingly prolific creative endeavors limited their time to

create together. Brian Gibson was the sole artist, musician and co-designer of the

acclaimed video game Thumper, which has since proliferated across a multitude of

platforms, and won countless awards including the 2019 Apple Design Award. Brian

Chippendale, who has always created the band’s visual art, released the graphic novel

Puke Force, was included in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time,” and

recently collaborated with fashion designers Eckhaus Latta. Coupled with their consistent

touring, as well as Chippendale recently becoming a father, the duo took the challenge of

their time constraints head on as a compositional tool. By keeping some songs more direct

and focusing on their central ideas, the duo managed to increase the overall intensity of

their music while leaving space to for the songs to breath and stretch out live.

The impact that Lightning Bolt has had on underground music since its inception is

immense, and remains pervasive beyond any genre tag that has been attached to them.

Sonic Citadel is the work of band unafraid to challenge themselves, unbound by

expectations, joyfully defiant, and possessed of the same inventive curiosity which set

them apart on day one and is unmatched still 25 years later.