STREETLIGHT – Ignition (2023) *HQ*

Frontiers Music is welcoming STREETLIGHT to the label family for the release of their new album, “Ignition“. An AOR/Melodic Rock band from Jonkoping, Sweden, Streetlight stays true to the genre, delivering distinctive melodies, punchy choruses and strong hooks.
Influenced heavily by bands like Journey, Toto, Kansas and Def Leppard, Streetlight creates music that is fun to listen to, melodic and guitar driven, with a sound that reminds you of the times when AOR was at its peak. But Streetlight does not see melodic rock as just a relic from the past. It’s more than nostalgia and music for the here and now.
Two of the songs included in “‘Ignition” (written by singer Johannes Häger) almost ended into Journey last album – go figure. The quality on this CD is superb.

The band’s story began in 2021, when Erik Tilling, a guitar player and good friend of singer Johannes Häger, saw that his childhood heroes Journey were recording a new album. He got this crazy idea to send a demo to the band and subsequently wrote the song ‘Overjoyed’.
He asked Johannes to sing on the demo, and also to mix the track. Erik was able to get in touch with Journey’s vocalist Arnel Pineda, who had only good things to say about the song, though it was not used by the band at the end of the day.

Erik and Johannes decided to release the track themselves, and also co-write and release a second song, ‘Stay’ under the band name Streetlight. They started sending the songs to different labels. Several companies expressed interest, but they decided on working with Frontiers Music Srl, not only because Journey is on the same label, but also because, stylistically, Frontiers is a perfect fit for Streetlight’s music.
Soon after they signed with the label, Erik decided to leave the band, due to lack of availability to dedicate himself fully to the band Streetlight now consists of vocalist and guitarist Johannes, guitarist Filip Stenlund, keyboardist John Svensson, drummer Erik Nilsson, and bassist Johan Tjernström.

All the members have musical backgrounds as members and/or session musicians in different bands, including Bullock Hearts, Harmony, Ole Börud, and Narnia, among others.
Johannes Häger is the primary songwriter and also recorded and produced Streetlight’s debut album ”Ignition”. A full-time music producer in Sweden, Johannes has been a fan of melodic and hard rock through the years, and spent his teenage years playing in different rock bands in Jakobstad, Finland, where he originally is from. But since that time, he hasn’t had the chance to release any music of his own in the genre he loves until now with Streetlight.

Streetlight’s debut album is filled to the brim with heart and soul AOR. Few bands have the skill and ability to make it sound this honest. Just unpretentious songs of unerring simplicity and (mostly) uncomplicated sentiment, built on strands of soaring melody and cleanly crafted musicianship.
The bright and breezy AOR songcraft of openers, ‘Hit The Ground’, ‘Chutes And Ladders’ and ‘Stay’ has an immediate impact.

It comes as no surprise then to learn that two of Häger’s penned songs, ‘Fire Burning’ and ‘Overjoyed’, featured here, made it onto the short list for Journey’s next album but missed the cut. ‘Overjoyed’ is the stronger of the two and you can hear why Journey were interested.
It deserves its place here, but perhaps it just lacks the kind of unique AOR profile looked for by one of the world’s leading Melodic Rock bands.

Framed in a dreamy, Westcoast Rock template, the slickly romantic ballads, ‘Closer’ and ‘Words For Mending Broken Hearts’ pick Streetlight out as real contenders, finding the kind of mellow groove searched for by so many AOR bands.
Full of purpose, urgency and drive, ‘Love Riot’ and ‘Awake’ are weightier contributions.
‘Caught Up In A Dream’ and ‘Malibu Pier’s punchy, flamboyant pop-AOR mark the band out further, closing the album in a blaze of sensory overloaded glory.

“Ignition” is one of the best AOR albums of the year. A crisp, melodic set of songs with all that Scandi feel. This band could be great.
Mandatory Purchase

01 – Hit The Ground
02 – Chutes And Ladders
03 – Stay
04 – Love Riot
05 – Closer
06 – Caught Up In A Dream
07 – Awake
08 – Fire Burnin’
09 – Overjoyed
10 – Words For Mending Hearts
11 – Malibu Pier

Johannes Häger – Lead vocals, guitars
Filip Stenlund – Guitars
John Svensson – Keys
Johan Tjernström – Bass
Erik Nilsson – Drums

Pre order:
www.amazon.co.uk/Ignition-Streetlight/dp/B0C4VVBG65