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Ray Alder: Vocals
Jim Matheos: Guitar / Programming
Dennis Leeflang: Drums
Video by Simon Ward for 1d3ntity https://identity-media.co.uk
With 2026's "How to Cast a Shadow," North Sea Echoes' identity is further explored and expanded. Matheos explains, "this record is a bit heavier, with several more songs featuring real drums, played by Dennis Leeflang. It wasn't necessarily intentional or planned, just the way things shaped up and how they emerged this time."
Alder concurs. "'I'll Leave a Light On' is much heavier than anything on Really Good Terrible Things, the first NSE album. It has a darker melancholic feel that fits well on this album. I loosely based the lyrics on a character from my favorite sci-fi series. I won't say which, but they do use the quote 'out there in the black.'"
From the radio-ready rock of "All That Comes After" to intimate, escalating "A Time of Innocence and Purpose" to the powerful, timeless ballad "Villains or Saints," How to Cast a Shadow cohesively crosses genres and challenges aural preconceptions.
The music that became the title track inspired lyricist Alder. "When Ray sent his ideas for this one, it immediately stood out for me as a title track," Matheos says. "A combination of title/lyrics/ imagery, and the song itself being a bit longer and having a lot of the elements of what NSE sounds like made it a natural choice for me."
Reflecting on North Sea Echoes' sophomore album, the duo says, "I guess you could say that there are elements of everything we do or have done on this album, yet Fates and our various other projects are totally different types of music." If Really Good Terrible Things kickstarted NSE's career with "hovering subtleties, introspective thoughtful reflections" and lyrics with "wisdom and authenticity," How to Cast a Shadow ups the promise of its predecessor. Provocative words of hope, sorrow and consciousness are paired with Matheos' equally emotive, varied and deeply moving guitar work.
LYRICS:
You walk alone among the dead you never took more than you could give
They say a time will someday come when there’s no moon and there’s no sun
In your hour of need drown your sorrows to forget tomorrow
The stars above turn gray close your eyes but the memories stay
You’re on the run from the ghosts of your past
A fragile heart offered up in your hands
I’ll leave a light on in case you come back but I won’t hold my breath
You’re lost in the black
By now you know there’s no reprieve no gods to follow no truths to believe
You’re on the run from the ghosts of your past
A fragile heart offered up in your hands
I’ll leave a light on in case you come back but I won’t hold my breath
While you’re in the black
Your silence screams louder than words a heavy heart beats but can’t be heard
You’re on the run from the ghosts of your past
A fragile heart offered up in your hands
I’ll leave a light on in case you come back but I won’t hold my breath
You’re lost in the black