Northlane have opened up about the big collaborations on their latest EP Mirror’s Edge in a new interview.
Mirror’s Edge features more collaboration than ever before on a Northlane record. The inclusion of Parkway Drive‘s Winston McCall on “Miasma” adds a layer of brute force to the EP, while the collaboration with Karnivool’s Ian Kenny on “Afterimage” serves as a homage to the Perth prog-rock legends.
“Honestly, it’s shocking that we’re at a point where we’re able to reach out to these people and they’re excited to work with us on a song,” the band’s frontman Marcus Bridge told Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
“For us, doing collaborations and guest spots, we don’t really do it too often. It is something we want to be intentional and special, not just a flash in the pan moment of a song. After being on the retreat together and talking about these songs, for ‘Afterimage’, Ian Kenny immediately popped out. It did feel like this amalgamation of all the different sounds we’ve had, but particularly the earlier [previous Northlane albums] Node and Mesmer sounds.”
Bridge continued: “I feel like all of that was quite heavily influenced by Karnivool. When I came into the band, that was everyone’s favourite band in Northlane! I think they’d just toured with them, and they were Karnivool addicts. They very instantly got me onboard and I was hooked. To have him on that song was a dream come true.”
McCall was pitched the idea of a collaboration before being on tour with Parkway Drive last year. Once they returned to Australia, he flew to Melbourne to complete vocals and tracking for “Miasma”.
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“I think Parkway and Karnivool are cornerstone bands for us,” Bridge said. “Parkway Drive, especially for heavy music in Australia. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do if it wasn’t for them kicking it off for all of us. And then Karnivool, that was a band that helped evolve the sound and the mindset of Northlane, in how we approach things. To have both these vocalists is mind blowing.”
Northlane’s new EP, Mirror’s Edge, marks a pivotal moment for the Australian heavy music scene. The six-track release comes as the first new music from the band since their 2022 album Obsidian and represents a period of intense reflection and evolution within the group’s dynamic.
Elsewhere in the interview, Bridge shared his insights into the creative process behind the EP with Rolling Stone AU/NZ, highlighting its overarching theme of acceptance and the positive shift in the band’s approach to making music.
Northlane’s Mirror’s Edge EP is out now.
