Spotlights are loud. We caught up with bassist Sarah Quintero before the band’s performance at Mahall’s in Lakewood, OH, to shine a light on the deluge of distortion and fuzz pedals she uses to saturate the low frequencies which drive the trio’s sludgy shoegaze riffs straight into your skull.

Quintero’s default distortion sound comes courtesy of the one-two punch of a Fulltone OCD driving a Boss ODB-3. For additional grit she stomps on the Way Huge Swollen Pickle, Darkglass Vintage Deluxe, or the Monarch.

In the song “Under the Earth,” she uses the Terminal for a distinctive bite that’s “knotty and fuzzy.” For Spotlights’ newer material, she leans on the Bit Commander for a harmonically complex octave fuzz that splits the difference between bass and guitar, using the musical space afforded by a power-trio lineup to sculpt a massive bass tone rich with thump and growl.

Stompboxes from Zvex, Boss, MXR, and TC Electronic complete signal path in Sarah’s seismic rig, which can be heard rocking a club near you. You’ll hear it before you see it. Spotlights are loud.

For Spotlights’ music and tour dates, check them out on Bandcamp.

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