"Light As a Feather" is Lithic's second cut from their year's impressive display of genre-bending releases. It lands between an elusive layer of psychedelia, grunge rock, and alternative rock while still sounding current. Though co-written amongst the bands four members, its pieces—buzzing guitar riffs, a fluid evolving melody, saturated vocals, and a smashing drumset performance—are a testament to Lithic's reasserting dominance in this year's Alt-Rock standoff. The combined complexity in the song offers the all-encompassing thrill of headbanging your way into the front row of your favorite rock concert while displaying what feels like their ache for distant connection through its whimsically swaying vibe. "Light as a feather, free from the weight, nothing to teather.." they sing, extending a fascinating proposal to step into the breathing void of their desert rock colored music. Lithic once again re-shapes the idea of what a rock single might sound. It feels good to disappear into something so anthemic and mysterious at the same time for a while. A full and round low-end absorbs the more bottomless crevasses of this musical journey, while still providing an aggressive punch through its attack. A psychedelia influenced falsetto develops into a scolding beacon of confidence and upheaving energy throughout the chorus. As the heavy-handed guitar riffs tradeoff between vocals and crashing cymbals, this tune induces a trans-like state—pulling you between a swaying lullaby into a dramatic forward-moving march. The arpeggiated guitar solo is the lightly scorched garnish on top of this warm appetizer on Lithic's dynamic musical menu. It's no doubt this band has followed their creativity, and with a tasteful blend of character borrowed from genres alike, they're jousting to be king of the alternative-rock hill in the not so distant future.
You can listen to "Light As a Feather" here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Lithic! We're absolutely overwhelmed by your vibe. You guys have such an imaginative and captivating sound. Can you tell us more about the inspirations behind the name "Lithic"? Where did the inspiration for this title come from?
Stone (Guitar & Vocals): Thank you guys so much! The story behind the name is a little bit silly… When I first dreamt of being in a band I mused day and night over a captivating name for it. My guitar teacher at the time was in the dopest metal band, and he was like “Bro, you should name your band Neolithic, ya know since your name is Stone!” I was like “Dope.” It sounded better without the Neo (who doesn’t love the Matrix?), and boom! I kinda carried the name around in my pocket until I met the band, and here we are!
In "Light As a Feather," you display an enormous understanding of musical structure and flow. Is this something that comes naturally when you collaborate together amongst yourselves?
Jack (Guitar & Vocals): We all spent years on our musical process. Every song, from songwriting to the master recording, gets the care it deserves. All of us have a unique opinion about every little detail and we end up sculpting and polishing until everyone’s happy! At times, that can take quite a bit of back and forth, but the product is that much sweeter for it. We always try to think to ourselves, “What will best serve this song?” Then we try to build and highlight the vibe, while also satisfying or messing with the listener's expectations to make each song it’s own journey.
What usually fuels your artistic expression throughout your days in the practice room?
Stone: We play off of everyone's respective vibe. Jack and I truly inspire each other as songwriters; the two of us will bring in tunes we’ve composed, and Marvin n’ Juan will warp them into a new beast. Juan and Marv’s contribution is vital to Lithic’s final sound. They mutate, rearrange, and reinterpret Jack’s and my compositional ideas; without them, there is nothing. As a quartet, we like to polish up the loose ends in the practice room, but we don’t really rehearse all that often. Although, we all hit the shed as individuals like crazy.
Is there something you all do together as a band to manufacture these creative compositions other than band practice?
Juan (Bass): We became really close to each other. We hang out often and share our life stories. When Jack or Stone brings a new song to the table we can all relate to it because we’re deeply familiar with the people and emotions attached to the writing. Also, everyone comes from different backgrounds so that’s a big part of what makes this band sound unique. It is very special to work with people you truly trust and respect. This is reflected in the way our music sounds, and the closer we get as friends the better the music becomes.
It was awesome featuring you here on BuzzMusic! Can you tell us about any plans you guys have for new releases in the future? What else have you been working on?
Jack: We appreciate you having us! The next single, “Nightmares” is coming out very soon! Beyond that release, you can expect the stream of new music to keep on flowing. That’s all I can say for now ;) Keep your eyes on our Instagram (@lithicofficial) or Facebook page and some goodies will be right around the corner.
P.S. Marvin, our drummer, could not be here for this special occasion but he sends hearty regards.