iSound

“I see the world in a swirl of hues / but my favorite color is shame” This confession, delivered by Gatsbys American Dream vocalist Nic Newsham in opening track “Theatre,” begins the journey that is the band’s third full-length album, Volcano. Filled with literary references ranging from Jurassic Park and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy to Interview With A Vampire and The Lord Of The Flies, Volcano is not easy music to swallow—and it’s not meant to be, says guitarist Bobby Darling. “We’re pulling from a lot more influences to tell a more personal story; this record has a much stronger central idea than anything we’ve done in the past.” But what is that central idea? Darling explains: “I’ve always been attracted to stories about volcanoes, not to mention my childish fixation on dinosaurs. We all loved the story of Pompeii, and somehow we came around to the idea of the volcano narrating a song [track two, “Pompeii”] and becoming the main theme of a record.” A refresher course, for tho...