Formed in April 2024 as what bassist/clean vocalist Ethan Wolford describes to No Echo as a “spite project,” Northlake came together during a turbulent period, with music serving as a necessary outlet. “I had been going through a rough time and needed something,” he says. After a few lineup shifts, the Eastern Kentucky band finds its members spread across the Pikeville region.
Sonically, Northlake sits in the modern metalcore lane, but with a rougher edge. Drawing from bands like Wage War, Alpha Wolf, and Fit For a King, the group blends aggression with melody, layering in nu-metal touches and production-driven textures. Wolford, who plays a key role in writing and producing the band’s material. “We want stuff that makes people move,” he says.
Just last week, Northlake released Weightless, a 6-song EP. Wolford shares some thoughts on the new collection's title track: "The song is more of the raw and heavier side of us, and it’s the side we honestly want to do more of. It’s not super flashy, and it doesn’t have that 'Octanecore' factor that some of the other stuff you hear may. We just like the heavy stuff. Lyrically, it’s pretty deep. It’s just one of those all gas, no break type songs. It’s similar to our song 'Toxic.' It’s just straight beat ass, but it’s not as flashy, and it’s more raw."
Despite the band’s momentum, Northlake operates in a region with limited infrastructure for heavy music. “The local scene honestly doesn’t exist,” Wolford says. Still, he points to a handful of acts—Together/Lost, Neardeth, Undersoil, Loose Ends, and 2Face—as proof that there’s real talent in Eastern Kentucky, even if the support system isn’t there yet.
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Northlake on social media: Instagram
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