INTERCONTINEN7AL

INTERCONTINEN7AL, a rock band that has recorded with musicians on all seven continents, has released “Lighthouses (Acoustic Remix),” a stripped-back, folk-influenced version of a track from its 2022 album, ‘Volume 3.’

“Lighthouses” began in September 2021, when bandleader Matt Smith, a Freehold, New Jersey native now based in Castle Rock, Colorado, posted a one-minute bass line on BandLab. The following month, cousin Alex Burke added piano chords, inspiring Smith to write a breakup duet in about 20 minutes.

Smith kept the first vocal take he recorded on his phone because he could not recreate it. Becca Drayer joined on vocals, while Argentina-based Gustavo Prida updated the drums.

In October 2023, Smith built a new acoustic arrangement around a Drop D slide guitar riff, replacing synth bass with brushed drums and a new bass part by Poland-based collaborator Marcin Nawrocki. The result felt right for fall.

The remix replaces the original’s electronic sound with a direct, stripped-back feel. The duet opens, “You were my beacon, but now our love has weakened,” and builds to, “When the lights go out, safe harbor cannot be found.” Alt77 compared Smith and Drayer to the “darkly romantic duets between Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell.”

INTERCONTINEN7AL began in March 2020, when members of the Columbia, Maryland band Toast collaborated online during the pandemic. Through BandLab, Smith connected with more than 30 musicians in 15 countries.

Inspired by the Foo Fighters’ Sonic Highways, Smith set out to work with musicians on every continent, including two Antarctica researchers on “Manor Hill.” Named after Tool’s “7empest,” the project has released seven volumes, including the ‘World Over’ EP, with five songs featuring musicians from all seven continents. Streaming income supports Stand Up 2 Cancer, Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders and the International Rescue Committee.

The band has been covered by more than 200 outlets, including Rolling Stone en Español, Spin, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Denver Post and Earmilk. The Big Takeover said its songs “speak volumes,” while Earmilk called ‘World Over’ “an audio journey unlike any other.”

Because it works entirely online, the band does not plan to tour. With “Lighthouses (Acoustic Remix),” INTERCONTINEN7AL shows its global approach works as well with an acoustic guitar and two voices as with musicians worldwide.

INTERCONTINEN7AL Band Members:

Matt Smith, Castle Rock, Colorado, USA, guitar, vocals, production

Becca Drayer, Columbia, Maryland, USA, vocals

Marcin Nawrocki, Torun, Poland, bass

Gustavo Prida, Buenos Aires, Argentina, drum programming

Alex Burke, Long Branch, New Jersey, USA, bass, synth

Josh Pearlson, Johannesburg, South Africa, guitar, synths, bass

Jukerok, Cairo, Egypt, guitar, piano

Aymar de Lichtervelde, Princess Elisabeth Station, Antarctica (resides in Brussels, Belgium), guitar, piano

Stijn Thoolen, Concordia Station, Antarctica (resides in Boston, Massachusetts, USA), percussion

Nerse, Chiang Mai, Thailand, violin, guitar, banjo

Tanabata (aka Tnbt), Kanazawa, Japan, drums

Robert James Shoveller, Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia, guitar

Andrasta, Cleethorpes, United Kingdom, vocals

Miami73, Chambéry, France, guitar

Rousevision, Darmstadt, Germany, guitar, piano

Kelly Wandless, Gateshead, United Kingdom, vocals, guitar

Michael Ahart, Wicomico Church, Virginia, USA, percussion