San Francisco’s Lightworker — Joe Calderon [vocals], Grayson Hurd [guitar], and Ryan Johnson [drums]—will drop their new album How the Beautiful Decay on April 19 via Solid State Records. Pre-order it here.
Today, the band has shared the video for “First Light.” Watch it here.
“As a band, each member hit a rough patch at least once the last few years,” Lightworker explain. “The song broaches on those struggles with unflinching honesty about where our minds went. However, no matter how vivid and intrusive those thoughts became, hanging on for a glimpse of the next day was a simple yet powerful reminder that life is a gift of peaks and valleys worth experiencing.”
“When we were first discussing the musical direction and what the record would be about, the title How The Beautiful Decay popped into my head and stayed there,” shares Hurd about the album’s overall vibe. “‘Decay’ suggests changing and withering over time. Often, you don’t notice until years down the line that it started a long time ago. We noticed the decay happening in our own lives slowly but surely during the pandemic — we couldn’t see friends and family and we were stuck in our homes for a period, not sure what to do. It wasn’t until we had begun writing the record when we really noticed the effect this change had taken on us, for better or worse.
“The title encompasses what we were going through and had gone through over the prior two years. The record is about recognizing the beauty in the world, but still acknowledging the darkness without fear and doing whatever you can to find a way through it.”
Lightworker first emerged with the Resilience EP in 2017. Their signature sound cemented on 2020’s full-length debut, Fury by Failure. It tallied over a million streams powered up by the likes of “Empyre,” “The Willing Martyr,” and “Words Dissolve” [feat. Ryan Kirby of Fit For A King]. Meanwhile, a 2021 cover of the Hoobastank hit “Crawling in the Dark” maintained their momentum. During 2022, they recorded How The Beautiful Decay with Beau Burchell of Saosin in the producer’s chair. The musicians made a conscious decision to let their heavier impulses lead the way in the studio. As a result, How the Beautiful Decay is a master class in beautiful brutality.
Lightworker will also embark on a short tour with Eyes Set To Kill next month. All confirmed dates are below.
HOW THE BEAUTIFUL DECAY TRACK LISTING:
“Hellscape”
“First Light”
“A Bastard’s Shame”
“Burn Scar”
“Evergreen”
“Mea Culpa”
“Unmaker”
“Blurred Vision”
“Rusted Crown”
“How the Beautiful Decay”
LIGHTWORKER ON TOUR:
WITH EYES SET TO KILL:
3/8 — Sacramento, CA — Goldfields
3/9 — Fresno, CA — Full Circle Brewing
3/10 — West Hollywood, CA — Whisky A Go Go
3/21 — Albuquerque, NM — Launchpad
3/22 — Denver, CO — HQ
3/23 — Grand Junction, CO — Mesa Theater
3/24 — Las Vegas, NV — SINWAVE
