Name: Versions Of Us
Brand: Lanterns On The Lake

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BELLA1478V

Colour

Orange

Colour details

Transparent Orange

Discogs ID

[r27257991]

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Housed in Gatefold Sleeve with Printed Inner

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-06-02

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

PIAS

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5400863120719

Total Cap

Orange LP

BELLA1478CD

5400863120733

Artist

Lanterns On The Lake

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Bella Union

Bella Union is a UK label that has been run by Simon Raymonde, former member of Cocteau Twins, since 1997. With a focus on discovering new talent, Bella Union has introduced the world to bands such as Fleet Foxes, Beach House, Lanterns on The Lake, I Break Horses, Ballet School, and Midlake. As a ℗ & © coyright holding entity, Bella Union continues to be at the forefront of the music industry.

Lanterns On The Lake is an indie rock band hailing from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom. Formed by Hazel Wilde, Paul Gregory, Bob Allan, Ol Ketteringham, and Angela Chan, the band has gained recognition for their unique sound and captivating performances.

With a blend of atmospheric melodies and heartfelt lyrics, Lanterns On The Lake creates music that resonates with listeners on a deep level. Their introspective songwriting explores themes of love, loss, and the human experience.

Having released several critically acclaimed albums over the years, including "Gracious Tide, Take Me Home" and "Beings," Lanterns On The Lake has established themselves as one of the most influential bands in the indie rock scene. Their music has garnered praise for its emotional depth and sonic beauty.

Tyneside’s Lanterns on the Lake release their much-anticipated album, Versions of Us. This self-produced fifth studio album follows 2020’s Mercury nominated Spook the Herd. Its nine songs are existential meditations examining life’s possibilities, facing the hand we’ve been dealt and the question of whether we can change our individual and collective destinies.

Singer and songwriter Hazel Wilde has no doubt that motherhood fundamentally shifted her perspective. “Writing songs requires a certain level of self-indulgence, and songwriters can be prone to dwelling on themselves,” she says. “Motherhood made me aware at having a different stake in the world. I’ve got to believe that there’s a better way and an alternative future to the one we’ve been hurtling towards. I’ve also got to believe that I could be better as a person, too.” 

Mixed by the band’s guitarist Paul Gregory, in the bedroom of his home in North Shields, there is a sense of time and place that runs deep throughout this record.

Given some of its themes, a biting irony is found in an entire previous version of the record being discarded. Mental health struggles and personal problems in the band had a big impact on how the initial version took shape. “Despite trying everything we could to make it work we reached the point where we just had to stop” Wilde explains. Drummer Ol Ketteringham parted ways with the band, something Wilde says was “heartbreakingly difficult as we were and still are extremely close”.   The band scrapped nearly a year’s worth of work, regressing to song demos with just Wilde performing with a single instrument as they began again with Radiohead’s Philip Selway joining the album sessions on drums. “Philip brought an energy to the songs that reignited our belief in them,” says Wilde. “Within a few weeks we had a whole other version of the album and things felt very different,” Wilde continues. “We had changed the destiny of the record.” 

It’s a heartening idea. Despite the difficulties in its genesis, Versions of Us is the most empowering album yet from the band. In exploring whether we can change fate or are doomed to repeat the same mistakes in life, this powerful collection of songs ultimately alights on hope. 

Versions Of Us

Music GB