Editors Give Up their Guitars for Newest Album

Say what you will about Editors, but you can't call them boring. Despite considerable success with their first two records, on their latest release, 'In This Light and on This Evening,' dropped their wiry guitar pop in favour of raw anthemic synth rock. It's a striking aesthetic transformation, one that has surprised both fans and critics alike.

"This album is definitely the most challenging, left-field record that we've made," lead singer Tom Smith tells Spinner.

The band's dark currents are still present, but organic instruments are mostly swapped for minor-key synthesizers and stark electronics. According to drummer Ed Lay, the change came from a desire to avoid coming across as stale.

"It all started when we decided to go back into the rehearsal room to plan for the record and we found ourselves coming up with a lot of stuff that was sounding very similar to what we had done previously," he explains. "It was just sounding a bit tired. We didn't want to do the same thing all over again, so we knew we had to change things up."

Searching for inspiration, Chris Urbanowicz started writing his parts on synthesizers instead of guitars. Soon Lay was programming samplers, Smith was crooning in a low, moody register and before they knew it they had recorded the album's title track.

The final push into new territory came from UK uber-producer Flood. Having previously applied his golden touch to colossal acts like Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and U2, Flood instilled Editors with the confidence they needed to fully devote themselves to their new electronic inclination.

"We made the first step ourselves, but once he came in he allowed us to take it further and go entirely into that direction," says Smith "He really opened our eyes to different sounds and atmospheres and new ways of recording. To be honest, he made it pretty simple."

Of course, not everyone is appreciative of Editors' new sound ("some people really like guitars, don't they?" Smith jokes), but the band won't let that stand in the way of artistic growth.

"I feel like this relationship we have with Flood is really strong, but I think we both feel that it has a lot further to go," says Smith."Does that mean go darker? I don't know yet, but there's definitely further to go. We're not finished yet."