Lachryma Christi: Interview with Lightlorn (SE)

Tonight, Lachryma Christi brings you an interview with a Cosmic/Atmospheric Black Metal duo, Lightlorn from Sweden.

Lightlorn just signed a deal with Black Lion Records, and will be re-releasing their EP These Nameless Worlds in April 2023.

Lightlorn haven't been around for two long. A couple of years maybe. Their music and lyrics are highly influenced by themes such as the cosmos, astronomy, our existence in the Universe, and so on.

So let's read the interesting stuff they have to share with all of us.

Lightlorn, where does this name come from, as the name for this project?

Well, I went through a lot of different names, but nothing really captured the feeling of the music. Eventually, I combined the words “light” and “lorn”, the meaning of which is “bereft of light” or “loss of light”. I thought I had coined the term but it turns out I wasn’t the first.
Either way, I think it’s a great name that perfectly represents our sound.

How did the idea of Lightlorn come up, as a band? How did it all start?

A few friends and I started a band in 2020 during the pandemic and we ended up recording a couple of songs, but we just couldn’t find the time to make the band work. Since I was the songwriter, I decided to take the songs, ideas and riffs I had created and formed Lightlorn as a studio project. I reworked the songs extensively, and once I was happy with them, I asked Riaan to help out with the drums.

You've been around since 2021, and already have an EP released, "These Nameless Worlds". How are you finding the reception of your followers towards it?

I’m very pleasantly surprised! The EP has been received much better than I ever expected. It feels great that the songs have made such an impact on so many people. When I formed Lightlorn and decided to release the songs, I had hoped that at least a few people would dig it, but I honestly could never have imagined that they would be enjoyed all over the world!

Since Lightlorn formed around the end of the restrictions of the pandemic, how do you think the industry for this kind of music is now? How easy has it been for you to share your music?

If anything, I think the pandemic gave people an opportunity to explore their creativity, be it music, art, writing. Creativity is the bastard child of boredom, and since so many people were stuck at home during the pandemic, it proved to be a fertile breeding ground for artistic creation.
For touring bands, the pandemic really hit hard. Not being able to go out and play shows was definitely a huge problem for a lot of bands.

But for someone like me, releasing music as the restrictions were easing worked out well.

I guess it’s easier these days for people to share their music, since there are so many platforms to do so. The tricky part is standing out from the multitude of voices all wanting to be heard.

When can we expect a full-length by Lightlorn?

Hopefully this year sometime. I’m working on several songs at the moment and the plan is to start the recording process in March or April. So, unless something unforeseen happens, the album should be out this year.

Lightlorn had two members only. How does it work in terms of composing? What comes first, how does it go?

It’s a little different for each song. Sometimes I write a riff or melody that I like, and then build the song up around it. Or I might start with a song title and then try to capture the emotion of the title. For instance, "Stargazing in the Abyss" (the 4th song on the EP) is a title I came up with a long while back. It’s a play on words that refers to a well-known quote by Nietzsche, but I think it also conjures up feelings of isolation mixed with wonder. So, before I wrote a single riff or melody for the song, I knew what emotion I wanted it to convey.
After I have almost finalised a song, I send it to Riaan so that he can work out the drum lines. Once he is done, I may make some minor adjustments to better fit the drums.

Also, since it's only the two of you, do you ever play live or plan to?

We don’t have any plans to play live just yet. Time is a major factor, but you never know what the future holds.

One of the themes you focus on is Space? What is it that fascinates you about it?

I have been interested in the cosmos since I was young. There’s something so inherently frightening about the cold, vast universe in which we live – but there’s an undeniable beauty to it as well. The size, distances, and timescales are difficult for our minds to fully comprehend. People are so caught up in the mundane concerns of their daily lives, we sometimes forget we exist in this essentially infinite universe. It also raises very interesting philosophical questions. But basically, I’m just fascinated by space and our place in it.

What other subjects influence you in your music?

Existentialism mostly, primarily Nietzsche and Sartre. I think that the human search for meaning is inextricably linked to cosmology, astronomy, and other scientific fields. Our morals and values must be created based on our place in the cosmos, however insignificant it may be.

Does any of you have parallel projects? How easy is it to concile everything?

Riaan plays drums in an international black metal band called Nastergal. So he alternates between the two bands. They’ve just completed the recording of their debut full-length.

What can we expect from Lightlorn in 2023?

Well, as mentioned, we hope to release our full-length album during the year. We’re also pleased to announce that we’ve recently signed a worldwide record deal with Black Lion Records.

Is there anything else you’d like to add to this interview?

Black Lion Records will be re-releasing "These Nameless Worlds" on CD around April. So, make sure to grab a copy when it’s out! We should also have some merch available soon.