Kansas City atmospheric prog-rock band A Light Within returned late last year with their haunting new single Dying Clock, marking their first new single since 2024’s Identity and the next step in their slow-burning creative evolution. Known for their dark, atmospheric soundscapes and cinematic songwriting, the band remains a must-listen for fans of Porcupine Tree, Failure, Katatonia, Tool, and Pink Floyd.
Dying Clock arrived as the band continues rebuilding after a turbulent few years. A Light Within carefully crafted the track throughout 2025 and enlisted Failure drummer Kelli Scott to add his signature sound during the session. The song, clocking in at just over nine minutes, wastes no time and takes the listener on an auditory journey with an ending that even the most discerning post-rock and metal fans will appreciate. Bass on the track comes courtesy of Madelyn Robertson. Their last full release, Epilogue in 2018, concluded a conceptual trilogy built from transcribed diary entries and was recorded by respected engineer Paul Malinowski (Season to Risk, Shiner, The Life and Times) and mastered by Acle Kahney of TesseracT.
Kyle Brandt (vocals, keys, production) and Jeff Irvine (guitar) joined HEAVY to bring us up to speed.
"It's been well received so far, and I'm glad to hear that," Kyle smiled when we asked how the new single was received. "That keeps the motivation strong and healthy. Even though mainly we make music for ourselves, when anybody else enjoys it, it's like icing on the cake, so to speak."
We ask the boys to take us deeper into the musical side of Dying Clock.
"It kind of started as a jam in the room, and then it got to not very far," Jeff laughed. "And Kyle took that room recording and made a really killer demo out of it, like fully structured it out. We had an idea of wanting it to be two songs in one song type thing, a song with two parts, if you will. And he did that, and it was really cool. I came over and did some demo guitar recordings on it, fully digital, which I had never done. He had me kicking and screaming to pull me into that direction. But I did it. And some of those guitar tracks are still on the demo or on the song now."
In the full interview, Jeff and Kyle shared insights into the creative process behind their songs, highlighting the contributions of drummer Kelli Scott (Failure), whose unique style transformed their sound. They emphasized a shift towards a more independent writing approach, with a focus on emotional expression rather than technicality, resulting in a blend of post-rock and melodic prog rock influences.
The conversation also touched on the challenges of adapting to remote recording during the COVID-19pandemic, as well as the transition from analogue to digital production methods. Kyle discussed his previous work, a conceptual trilogy inspired by the album Posthumous Silence, and shared personal anecdotes related to his songwriting and more.
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