After the spectral glow of their debut, Gates of Light return with a second album that deepens their collaborative ethos, reconfiguring the interplay between geography, intimacy, and electronic alchemy.

Released via Scottish imprint Last Night From Glasgow, ‘Gates of Light II’ distills the essence of three serialized EPs—each bound to a place, each shaped by a different producer.

This fractured yet fluid approach emerged as a way to accommodate vocalist and songwriter Louise Quinn’s shifting reality. A single parent of twins, one of whom is autistic, Quinn embraced a fragmented creative process that allowed deeper immersion with each producer: The Glasgow Edition (produced by Finlay MacDonald), The Paris Edition (helmed by Kid Loco), and The London Edition (guided by Scott Fraser). The result is a kaleidoscopic whole, a composite view of Quinn’s artistry through three distinct prisms.

Like its predecessor, ‘Gates of Light II’ is haunted by the ghosts of past trauma, but it is also propelled by the desire to reconnect in a world still learning to trust itself. Lyrically, the album unfurls across the many faces of love: obsessive, unrequited, unconditional, and self-affirming. The emotional charge of these narratives finds a fitting counterpoint in the fractured, glitch-laden visuals of Setta Studios (Tim Saccenti + Dina Chang) and the stark yet evocative graphic design of Studio Build.

For Quinn, this project has been more than just an artistic pursuit—it has been a lifeline. “It’s been quite a journey making Gates of Light II,” she reflects. “With everything I’ve had to deal with, this collaboration saved me. My label and collaborators have been incredibly supportive, adapting to my circumstances, allowing the work to unfold as and when it was possible. I haven’t always been able to travel, but this process kept me connected. It’s been a nourishing, beautiful energy in my life.”

Set for release on February 14, 2025, ‘Gates of Light II’ is an album bound by love—not just romantic, but the kind that sustains, transcends, and transforms. A fragmented, luminous mosaic of sound and survival.

Louise Quinn on the track, “I wrote this song a couple of years ago on the birthday of my daughter Freya who was stillborn; it’s always a difficult time for me; but I was also grieving the breakdown of my marriage of many years whilst caring for our very young twins. But as they say; when everything cracks – that’s where the light gets in.

I was on instagram and Scott had posted a track he was working on and it seemed to be made for the song I was writing. It was the middle of the night; the only time I had to myself at that point; but I recorded a voice note of the song and sent it to him. Scott sent the track and I recorded three vocal takes with Jim McEwan in Solas Studios in Glasgow; we were both amazed at the results; it shouldn’t really work but was somehow totally intriguing and just felt right.

I really enjoy my collaborations with Scott; he is very much a kindred spirit and as Andy Weatherall wrote in his liner notes for our first ever collaboration back in 2019; some kind of ‘sublime magick’ happens when we work together.

This is the last track on the album and this is probably the last Gates Of Light album. I am eternally grateful to all of my collaborators for bringing so much light and life into my world when it had gotten so dark; they have renewed my faith in the world and in myself as an artist which I will always carry with me. “

Headline photo: Brian Sweeney

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