Behind The Artworks: Brightshine - The Wire (2022)

I’m a huge Rush fan and I woke up one morning with the idea that I should find contact info for Rush’s cover artist Hugh Syme and send him an email to see if he would be interested in doing the artwork for our new album “The Wire.” I sent him the album tracks and an introductory email and I was shocked to hear back from him—he dug the tunes and wanted to work with us! Working with Hugh was an amazing experience; he’s an amazing storyteller and such a genius at what he does.

He also totally got and loved all the different meanings of “The Wire” that one could glean from the lyrics of the title track. The cover art depicts a raven sitting on a wire that is smoking as if it may explode. Also included in the artwork are strings for a stringed instrument, another type of wire integral to making the album. He also included a tightrope walker on the back cover, who is literally walking on a wire. Finally, I love the Zen Archer he put on the cover as a nod to our song “Arrow in The Dark”! (Watch theofficial music video here).

The art Hugh came up with for the album is beyond anything I could’ve imagined and works perfectly for our sophomore project.