Our stream this week comes from the excellent Lights Over Bridgeport. Their EP ‘Trenches’ is out on September 26th and you can stream it, and read a great feature with John Hamlin the frontman of the band, below.
When you have those low points in life, keep on fighting” suggests John Hamlin, the captivating frontman for Chicago based Lights Over Bridgeport. Whilst his audience may not be as broad, Hamlin joins the likes of Cam Boucher from Sorority Noise, The Hotelier’s Christian Holden, and The Wonder Years Dan Campbell in using his music and platform to address mental health issues. “Let go of who you think you were, discover who you are now, and accept the person you’re becoming”, he adds.
As his band prepare to release their latest EP, the Nick Diener produced ‘Trenches’, Hamlin is open about his emotions and the “demons” he’s been facing. “I’ve personally found myself dealing with a lot of fear, anxiety, and if I’m honest depression” he confides during our short chat. “I’ve used my music to channel my feelings though, it’s allowed me to work through things in a creative way”.
Often seen as a delicate subject, the increasing willingness for bands to open up about such issues has been a release for many others. Hamlin isn’t looking to be a spokesman for the scene though, in fact he’s keen to point out that his band aren’t here to push a message or, as he puts it, “set an agenda”. He seems genuinely thrilled and thankful to anyone who offers support for his band, connects with their music, or uses it to motivate themselves. For him the record is about his own perseverance and pushing forward with life.
John’s comments are a poignant reminder, should it be ever needed, that appearances can so often tell you very little about a person and the issues they’re facing. Outside of music John spends much of his spare time training at his local gym and encouraging others who show an interest too. One of those is close friend and producer Nick Diener, best known as the voice of recently defunct The Swellers. “It’s pretty surreal to work creatively on your own album with the singer of one of your favourite bands” he enthuses. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have such a productive relationship with him”. The ‘Windy City’ natives have also linked up with producer and sound engineer Mark Michalik, known for his recent work with Pet Symmetry and Fireworks. It’s a team that works so well together that Hamlin jokes that he hopes the others don’t read this interview and “raise the rates on the next record”.
It’s an approach that seems to have paid off too. Whilst tracks such as ‘Restless’ are a great example of Hamlin channelling his demons, evident in the line where he sings ‘that weight that I’m never without’, the band have delivered a progressive punk-rock record that’s stacked full of anthemic vocal melodies too. ‘True North’ perhaps the pick of the bunch with it’s infectious chorus that will leave you humming the tune for days to come.
Of course it’s easy to hear hints of The Swellers throughout this record, but Hamlin is quick to point even closer to home when it comes to his own influences. “I was pushed creatively by some people I am lucky to consider friends”, he says before then talking excitedly about how fellow Midwesterners Lost Years and Mike Golden have released some of his favourite records of the last few years. “I’ve spent a lot of time listening to the increasing maturity in both of their song writing and it’s really motivated my own attempts.”
With Lights Over Bridgeport the focus isn’t on becoming the biggest band in the world, and that’s refreshing to see. Music is taken seriously but it’s having to be worked around full time jobs, family commitments, and a love of sports too. As this interview plays out John is anxiously keeping an eye on the Chicago Bears score (American Football) and describes the experience as simply ‘watching the Bears lose’, echoing his point that you have to fight through life regardless of what’s ahead.