Spotlights

Spotlights consists of the married pair Mario on guitar, synths, and vocals together with Sarah Quintero playing bass, guitar, and vocals, plus drummer Chris Enriquez, generating thick, imposing sonic environments grounded in doom-infused post-metal and shoegaze. The group formed in N.Y.C. before settling in Pittsburgh and first presented their expansive, metallic sonic worlds through the self-released 2016 album Tidals. Deftones noticed the record and invited the band to support them throughout that summer’s tour dates. After appearing alongside like-minded acts such as Pallbearer, Pelican, Hum, and Melvins, Spotlights secured a deal with Ipecac, which issued the 2017 follow-up Seismic—a weighty effort whose title fit its scale and which was produced by Aaron Harris of Isis and Palms. In 2018 the Allen Epley-assisted standalone single “Kiss the Ring” surfaced along with a remix EP. Love & Decay arrived in 2019 as the band’s third album and incorporated ambient and Krautrock hues while introducing Chris Enriquez as a permanent member. The We Are All Atomic EP came out the next year, shortly before Spotlights moved from Brooklyn to Pittsburgh. Their fourth album, the atmospheric Alchemy for the Dead, explored mortality and what lies beyond in 2023.