Erik Norlander announces new album Surreal

Erik Norlander
Erik Norlander (Image credit: Erik Nielsen)

Californian keyboardist Erik Norlander has announced that his latest album entitled Surreal will launch later this month.

The follow-up to 2009’s The Gallactic Collective is set for release on June 21 and is described as giving “both a nod to the past and puts an eye on the future with lush analogue soundscapes, real living human grooves, and unforgettable melodic lead work that will keep the songs playing in the listener’s head long after the music stops.”

The record will be mostly instrumental, but Lana Lane will feature on lead vocals on the title track.

Norlander says: “If there is only going to be one vocal track on an album, it had better be great, right? The vocal range of Surreal is rather wide, going from ballad-like warm lows to stadium-inspired powerful highs.

“And I think as Lana performs these vocal acrobatics in such an honest and skilful storyteller’s style, you don’t even realise the register shifts as they are happening.”

Norlander and Lane are joined on Surreal by bassist Mark Matthews, drummer Nick LePar, percussionist Greg Ellis and guitarist Alastair Greene. Additional guests include Jeff Kollman, Mark McCrite and Don Schiff.

Further album details will be announced in due course.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.