Although they received a recording budget after signing to
Bella Union in the U.K., their 2011 debut album, Gracious Tide, Take Me Home, was recorded in a similar vein to their EPs. Various front rooms, bedrooms, and the basement of a Newcastle shop were overtaken to be their improvised studio spaces and there was no question of the band recording anywhere else. Gregory was at the helm of production duties, overseeing the escalating instrumentation, which featured guitars, violin, mandolin, piano, synths, and glockenspiels. He molded the record’s sound without veering too far from that of their EPs, highlighted by the re-recording of “If I’ve Been Unkind,” “I Love You Sleepyhead,” and “A Kingdom." Imagery of the sea and water resonated throughout the band’s work and this was further influenced by Wilde and Gregory’s relocation to the coast.
Following the release of their debut, Lanterns on the Lake underwent a difficult period that culminated in brothers Brendan and Adam Sykes departing the band in 2012. The remaining members overcame this, alongside personal and financial difficulties, to release their sophomore record Until the Colours Run in 2013. The following year, Kemp left the group and Bob Allan officially joined on bass. Recorded in isolation in their Newcastle rehearsal space, and produced again by Gregory, the lusher but still despondent Beings followed in 2015. ~ Scott Kerr, Rovi