Q&A: The Mystery Lights Mark Return with Psych-Punk “Purgatory” Release
EXPLORING THE DARK CORNERS OF PSYCHEDLIA – After a well-deserved hiatus, The Mystery Lights return with a fervor, announcing their third studio album, Purgatory, set to be released on September 13. This latest offering marks a significant evolution in the band’s sound, showcasing an eclectic mix of psychedelia, punk, garage rock and even a surprising touch of country. Purgatory stands as their most ambitious record to date, pushing the boundaries of their already expansive musical repertoire.
The record’s first single and title track, “Purgatory,” perfectly encapsulates the band's new direction. The track is a dark, guitar-driven opus that surges with psychedelic mayhem reminiscent of The 13th Floor Elevators. Yet, it's punked-up and delivered with a tongue-in-cheek edge that hints at influences from The Monks. This fusion of styles creates a unique soundscape that is both nostalgic and refreshingly innovative. Accompanying the single is a captivating music video that amplifies the track's lysergic energy. As the band roams the streets of NYC, they gradually transform into their devilish alter-egos, bringing the song’s themes to vivid life.
“Purgatory,” sets the tone with its dark guitar-infused ambiance, but “Cerebral Crack” continues this journey, offering a hypnotic blend of swirling melodies and introspective lyrics that pull listeners into a surreal sonic landscape. Meanwhile, “Can't Sleep Through the Silence” captures the eerie calm of late-night introspection, its haunting rhythms and echoing vocals creating an immersive experience.
Despite the album's foray into the shadowy realms of psychedelia, there is a striking cohesiveness throughout. This is achieved through the band's elevated musicianship and a commitment to authenticity in their lyrics. Each track is crafted with precision, ensuring that the raw energy of their live performances translates seamlessly into the studio recordings.
As the release date approaches, anticipation is building among fans and critics alike. Purgatory promises to be a milestone in The Mystery Lights’ career, reflecting their dynamic evolution while staying true to the raw, authentic sound that has garnered them a dedicated following.
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
MIKE: We try to create fun. We want people to feel the music and we're not trying to put on a show. We're trying to create a party, like background music while people are hanging out, and that's what we aimed to do when we first started. It's fun music that people can dance to and feel.
LUNA: You just released your single “Purgatory” which is a sneak peek into your upcoming third album and I absolutely love how it continues to push boundaries within your sound. What is the inspiration behind the single and how did the decision for that to be the lead single come to be?
MIKE: “Purgatory” was heavily inspired by our influences like The Monks and Captain Beefheart. Lyrically, I decided to call the record Purgatory because it seems very fitting. It’s trying to be righteous in sinful situations and trying to see if you're going to better yourself or be forced to succumb to the darkness. I'm really big into the shadow. We called the song “Purgatory” and then thought might as well call the record that because it just makes sense, and we did something similar with our last record Too Much Tension where it felt like at the time there was all this nuclear war talk going on and everything seemed so tense, so Purgatory was not planned. It just happened to be very fluid.
LUNA: The single is accompanied by a music video. What is the inspiration behind the video and how was your experience filming it?
MIKE: It was hilarious. Lily Rogers and L.A. Solano directed and edited the video. We had this idea to have the devil go into New York to recruit citizens and are trying to pull them down to hell. There’s a priest coming out of the lingerie store and chugging Fireball,and the devil shows up in those moments and hands them a flyer to what you assume would be hell. It was really funny to do. I think we had three different shoots because we kept coming up with more ideas.
LUNA: You are set to release your Purgatory record in the fall and this is your first big project since Too Much Tension in 2019. Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with Purgatory since your previous releases?
MIKE: Everything is approached a lot differently. It's been a little while since the last release, so a lot of changes have happened internally. I think we're a little more experimental. I don't think we're sticking to one sound. What people are going to realize about the record is, every song sounds completely different than the last. I sing in six different styles. We have a country song, an acoustic song, and we have darker songs, as well as more fun, lighthearted songs. It’s our most diverse project to date. I think people will like it more because of that. I think it's a little bit more palatable. It doesn't stick to the format of what we've been doing. It definitely does not sound anything like the last two records, which is what we were hoping for and that we would progress into a more experimental place.
LUNA: You are known for your genre-fluidity with your psychedelic, punk and garage rock soundscapes. How do you approach building such a diverse sound within a single record?
MIKE: We don't consider it to be one genre when we're making the record. We go in with the intention of making music and if it makes sense, then we put it on the album. There really isn't a genre to pigeonhole this record just because there's a country song and there's your typical psych, punk and garage elements to it. We don't really think too much about what the style is going to be. It's whatever we're listening to at the time and that inspiration pours into the making of the record.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from Purgatory and why do you love it? Is there a certain lyric or message that stands out to you the most?
MIKE: One lyric that really stands out to me is, “I held the hands of way too many prophets / And I tried to understand which one picked my pocket.” I've read tons of books. I went down Eastern philosophy and studied Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Catholicism, and read all the books by Osho and Sadhguru, and all the classics. I thought that that was a funny line that some people can relate to; constantly seeking and never really finding. There's so many scammers out there too who are cult leaders and it’s an easy trap to fall into, but I’ve always gravitated towards that line.
LUNA: You collaborated with Wayne Gordon on the production and engineering of Purgatory. Can you share more about your creative partnership and how it influenced the overall sound and direction of the album?
MIKE: Big collaboration with Wayne. He heard a few songs he thought would work and he said it's halfway there. We went and recorded them all. I thought the album was done. He said it wasn’t and a couple of songs didn’t come out right. We went back for a songwriting session with Wayne and wrote and recorded three to four songs that became the big songs on the record. Wayne pushed the big time, further than what we thought we could go and was a huge, collaborative part of the record. He even co-wrote some of the songs with me and the band and we had a blast. We did it in his home studio and it sounds awesome. He's got all the proper gear for it and it sounds amazing.
LUNA: What is your favorite memory or experience from bringing Purgatory to fruition that you would like to share?
MIKE: To bring it to fruition is probably the moment that we got sent the master link with the album art on it. It felt surreal, because up until that point, it's just rough mixes and we're seeing the artwork and listening to the record and getting the test pressing for the first time. It was a long time coming. It was a very slow process because we took a couple of years off after the pandemic. I didn’t even want to do music anymore and didn’t want to listen to music for a year. I didn't even want anything to do with it. In the second year, I dipped my toes back in. The third year, we decided we were going to make a record, so the finishing of it felt really good, like the weight of the world dropped off.
LUNA: What is something you absolutely need in your space when you’re feeling a creative spark hitting?
MIKE: Just instruments really, nothing in particular. Just an instrument setup, so we can try out ideas. Maybe a few beers.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would like to share with Luna?
MIKE: There's a lot coming out. The record is out Friday the 13th in September. We have Xanadu in Brooklyn next week, this new roller skating rink venue, which is cool. We're doing a Canada festival on August 15 and then we will be touring Europe in the fall at the end of September through October. We'll come back and then we will go to the west coast to do the Freakout Festival and then a string of West Coast shows. 2025 has already been booked as well. Our agents are working on more European dates, so more dates will be coming and a lot of exciting stuff.
