As far as we’re concerned, any time an Australian band or artist is able to top the charts in their homeland, it’s great news. Last month, we were elated to report on Tame Impala sending their new album, Currents, to the top of the ARIA Albums Chart.
However, Tame Impala’s throne has now been usurped (though knowing Kevin Parker, he probably just said “Yeah, fair enough” and abdicated) by Sydney metalcore favourites Northlane, whose latest full-length, Node, is now sitting atop the chart.
All eyes were on Northlane and fellow heavy outfit Lamb of God this week to see whose latest release would debut at the top – the death metal veterans recently unveiled their eighth studio album, VII: Sturm und Drang, to a positive reception from critics and artists.
Node is Northlane’s first album with newly minted vocalist Marcus Bridge, who joined the band after the departure of longtime frontman Adrian Fitipaldes, who left the band unexpectedly last year, citing health issues.
The band recently announced a massive national tour to celebrate the release of Node, which Tone Deaf reviewer Dylan Evans called “a heavy deviation from the group’s previous efforts” and “a fork in the road for genre enthusiasts”.
Taking to Facebook recently, the band shared an impassioned missive about the album’s latest single, ‘Impulse’, framing it as a dissection of the detrimental impact the rapid expansion of technology is having on human interaction and relationships.
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“‘Impulse’ is a song about the de-humanisation of our interactions through technology and social media,” guitarist Josh Smith wrote. “It’s an observation about how many of us live vicarious lives where our self esteem is based upon the opinions of people that we don’t personally know.”
“Appreciate what’s happening right now. Your relationships to the ones you love are based on communication, but as great as technology is, it’s not directly replaceable for face to face contact and direct human interaction.”
Tone Deaf was also lucky enough to catch up with the Sydney favourites recently and have them share their tips on building and fostering a committed and passionate fan base. Readers can check out the highly illuminating chat right here.
“Node” has officially debuted at #1 on the ARIA Charts, which means it was the highest selling album in Australia last…
Posted by Northlane on Saturday, August 1, 2015
