Q&A: Floodlights Illuminate the Transience of Life on “The Light Won’t Shine Forever”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
EMBRACING THE UNKNOWN – Melbourne-based rock band Floodlights continue to refine their sweeping, evocative sound with the release of their new single, “The Light Won’t Shine Forever.” Serving as the latest glimpse into their forthcoming third album, Underneath, the track is a stirring meditation on impermanence—both in the personal and the universal sense.
From its opening notes, “The Light Won’t Shine Forever” transports listeners to the expansive landscapes that Floodlights so often channel in their music. With layered guitars, expressive piano lines, and urgent percussion, the song gradually builds in intensity, mirroring the ebb and flow of human emotion. At its core, the track is a lesson in embracing life’s highs and uncertainties, acknowledging that all moments—whether joyful, melancholic, or somewhere in between—are fleeting.
This single teases the broader themes of Underneath, an album born out of an intense period of growth and discovery for the band. Written amidst an extensive touring cycle that took them through the UK, Europe, Australia, and the US, the album captures the duality of life on the road—one of exhilaration and disorientation. Though their days were marked by new places and career milestones, the songwriting process itself was an intimate and reflective period, allowing the band to process their experiences in real-time.
Floodlights have long been known for their sharp societal observations, but Underneath expands their scope to include more personal ruminations on grief, memory, and the concept of place. This blend of introspection and social commentary is what makes their music resonate so deeply.
Of the track, the band’s Louis Parsons reflects that “This song explores the fleeting nature of emotions - how joy is ephemeral, how hope can be ripped away and then found again. But all these feelings are part of our pursuit of what we love, whatever that may be. For me, life feels like a continuous effort of navigating the unknown, trying to make sense of what you experience, and figuring out how to express those feelings. It’s strange how the same experience can impact you in different ways, for example, losing control can be invigorating and refreshing but it can also give rise to a sense of dreadful angst. ‘The Light Won’t Shine Forever’ is an ode to the forever winding road.”
There’s a quiet power in Floodlights’ storytelling—an ability to capture the deep and intangible emotions that exist beneath the surface of everyday life. “The Light Won’t Shine Forever” embraces the fleeting, to revel in uncertainty, and to find beauty in the impermanence of it all. If this single is any indication of what’s to come, Underneath promises to be Floodlights’ most intimate and resonant work yet.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
LOUIS: Thanks for having us, we’re Floodlights and we’re from Melbourne, Australia. In terms of music inspiration, it's a mixed bag. I grew up with a lot of Lou Reed, Neil Young and Patti Smith playing at home so I draw a lot from them, particularly their emphasis on meaningful lyricism. Ash and I both love writing poems and stories and finding a sound to embolden the meaning of words is something we love to do as a band. There's also a world of amazing contemporary music that bleeds into our style, sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle.
Australia is a beautiful country but it has a dark and shameful side as well which we like to explore in our song writing. It's interesting for me to dissect societal cultures and nuances from an Australian perspective and how often we as a country project an image that we are very far from. At the end of last year, we were very lucky to have toured in the central desert of Australia. We played with a band called James Range Band who were from a small community called Areyonga and it was truly a life changing experience to be immersed in such a beautiful country and meet so many wonderful people and learn about their cultures. It’s experiences like this that really shape our artistic style.
We also look inwards and use songwriting as a means of self expression which can be quite cathartic. Being vulnerable in our songs and on stage is important to us and makes us feel more connected to all the different people we play to.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
LOUIS: We want to create a whirlwind of emotions for listeners, a rollercoaster journey of intimacy and powerful eruptions. To be vulnerable and honest in what we do is important for us but it also creates a stronger connection with the people we are playing to.
LUNA: You just released your newest single “The Light Won’t Shine Forever” and huge congratulations! I love how it continues to break boundaries within your sound. What inspired the imagery and the poetic storytelling in this track?
LOUIS: This song explores the fleeting nature of emotions – how joy is ephemeral, how hope can be ripped away then found again. But all these feelings are part of our pursuit for what we love, whatever that may be. For me, life feels like a continuous effort of navigating the unknown, trying to make sense of what you experience, and figuring out how to express those feelings. It’s strange how the same experience can impact you in different ways, for example, losing control can be invigorating and refreshing but it can also give rise to a sense of dreadful angst. “The Light Won’t Shine Forever” is an ode to the forever winding road. The lyric style of this track was particularly inspired by Lou Reed, he had a beautiful way of using simple language to create a strong feeling and energy.
LUNA: As you approach the release of your third album Underneath, how do you feel the band has grown artistically and personally since Painting of My Time?
LOUIS: As people, we have all experienced a lot over the past couple of years both in a personal sense and together as a band. There has been inner turmoil and triumphs, loss and grief, hope and excitement, and every other human emotion. The band has toured extensively around the world which only fuels our desire to write and perform music for a living. We have become closer with one another and over time refined our sound whilst always looking to evolve. Part of the joy in writing music is that it changes as you change as people, so I think our new album, Underneath, is a reflection of how we’ve evolved and feels like a time capsule of what we have experienced since Painting of My Time.
LUNA: What is the inspiration behind Underneath and what themes and emotions do you explore? What can listeners expect from this new era of music from the band?
LOUIS: Underneath explores reflections of society, grief, memory and place. We called the album Underneath because a lot of what we sing about are feelings that are sometimes hard to express and lay below the surface. It also refers to certain facades in society that may be misleading and truth that lies beneath is hard to swallow. Our songwriting has evolved a lot as we have continued to tour and grow closer to each other which is evident in Underneath. Listeners can expect a journey of intimacy, powerful eruptions and everything in between.
LUNA: I would love to touch more on the creative process. Can you walk us through the creative process for Underneath? How did the songs evolve from the initial idea to the final version?
LOUIS: It's always changing to be honest, sometimes, we will start from a poem or lyrics by me or Ash and find a sound to compliment the meaning behind the lyrics. Other times we might strike up a jam that we like and build from there. It's a collaborative process which is a big part of why it's enjoyable.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from Underneath and why do you love this song? Is there a certain element, lyric or message that you gravitate towards the most?
LOUIS: I mean I can’t speak for everyone here but my favourite song is probably “JOY.” I love the drive to this track and the more post-punk sound. I really love the ‘joy’s’ yelled by Ash and Sarah and the unexpected step down chorus. Writing the lyrics for this track for cathartic, it sort of has a dual meaning.
My grandma’s name is Joy, who is beautiful and has had a very colourful life. She was diagnosed with Alzheimers a couple of years ago and it’s been sad to see her deterioration. Partly this song is written as an ode to her and the struggle of retaining Joy in a world of memories that are fading with each day.
On the other hand, this song explores the mountainous road we walk. At the peak is pure joy and down below it can be pretty dark - but what’s one without the other? It speaks to hope and ambition and fighting hard for your dreams to crystallise. I think joy and happiness can be hard to retain because the essence of what drives these feelings is always changing. You can get trapped in your own web of desires and put so much pressure on them to bring you happiness that they end up being the source of disappointment and sadness. It's also just a great song to perform!
LUNA: What was the most surprising or challenging aspect of creating Underneath compared to your previous albums?
LOUIS: I think the most challenging aspect was that unlike previous albums we didn’t get a chance to road-test the songs which can really help with refining a track. But I guess it adds a bit of mystery for the new album too!
LUNA: Which of the songs on Underneath would make the best karaoke pick, and who in the band would actually sing it?
LOUIS: I’d say ‘This Island’ would be a good karaoke song, and I could really see Joey getting on the mic for it!
LUNA: If you could magically transport yourselves back to one of the places you visited while writing the album, where would you go and why?
LOUIS: Kennet River, Australia. We just had a week of everything set up down the west coast of Victoria. It felt like I was really living a romantic dream of waking up, having a coffee, writing music, going to the beach, having a beer. Being surrounded by beautiful bushland and kangaroos out the window was really memorable.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the upcoming year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
LOUIS: I’m feeling great and can’t wait for Underneath to come out into the world. I'm so excited to play all the songs and start touring all over the world again!
