TRACK BY TRACK: Pridelands’ Joshua Cory Takes You Through ‘Light Bends’

I REACH INTO YOUR HEART 

We’ve found ourselves in a position where we must endure the environmental problems we’ve inherited from the mistakes of our ancestors. This song’s chorus lyrics represent our desire to reach into the “heart” of the planet, “to try and start it over”. If there were suddenly no humans on Earth, would our planet heal?

THE WALLS 

You never know what you’re capable of until you dive in headfirst and just go for it. When you throw yourself up against this brick wall time and time again, only for it to finally crumble before you. Will you give in to these challenges or make a breakthrough, welcoming metamorphosis? The fragmented lyrical phrases towards the end of The Walls represent the whispering forces of doubt we all struggle to silence along the way.

PARALLEL LINES

Parallel Lines charts the mad rush of love, from lust to obsession, before it all comes crashing down. Learning to let go of a lover when the chemistry’s pure magic is never easy (“…it’s hard to bend when we’re parallel lines”), but sometimes we get so blinded by desire that we lose sight of what we need. 

PARTED TIME

Hailing from a small town, Pridelands didn’t always feel like their dreams and ambitions for the band were supported by so-called friends at the time. It can certainly hurt when you’re reminded of how out of reach some dreams may seem. However, since their move to Melbourne, Pridelands are fast turning their dreams into reality: “I’m not here for your approval anymore.” 

THE LAKE OF TWISTED LIMBS

The Lake Of Twisted Limbs is a metaphor for feeling as though you are standing still while the Earth spins out of control around you. It’s about feeling powerless. Written from the perspective of someone who’s trying to bring a loved one back from the brink of despair, this song concludes with a realisation that, when all is said and done, we can only take care of #1. 

SAFER HERE

This song’s title is a direct reference to “the Old Blood” from Bloodborne and how its misuse brought about the destruction of Yarnham, the city in which this action role-playing game is set. Safer Here represents the cost of foolishness, with lyrics (“Will they revoke my eyes?”) echoing Bloodborne’s concept that curiosity can be pushed to the point of human sacrifice. 

HEAVY TONGUE

The lead single from Light Bends, Heavy Tongue shines a harsh spotlight on the corruption and mismanagement of the devastating bushfires that raged through Australia from 2019 to 2020: “By the time that you accept/That we’re on fire/The midnight oil spills out from the urn/But all our beds are damned to burn away.” 

ANTIPATHY

Unexpressed frustration and anger tend to fester, manifesting physically into illness and depression. We must instead try to recognise the depth of our feelings, process and then express these real emotions rather than trying to remain stoic and denying their very existence.

TRANSLUCENT BLUES

This song is particularly personal for Liam since his grandfather Elias is addressed within lyrical content. An open letter to the grandfather Fowler never had a chance to meet, Translucent Blue also delves into hereditary substance abuse issues. Translucent Blue is as much about what we find in ourselves as it is about what we have lost.

EVERGROWTH

Evergrowth navigates a suffocating relationship: “Under bouquets of affection/ You’re smothering me.” This song’s title references The Evergrowth from World Of Warcraft. 

THE SUN WILL FIND US

The Sun Will Find Us describes a dark, dystopian future (“children hanging by their toes”) with the sun going supernova an omnipresent threat. Would we rather suffer together in the darkness, choosing a life of ignorance, than deal with the harsh light of truth? “We need to hide, because the sun will find us here.” Ultimately, there’s no escaping the truth: the selfish actions of our ancestors will already cause our future generations wrongful harm.