The Spikes illuminates a bold new vision on cinematic debut album, "First Light"
With First Light, Iago Haussman, the Italian-born, genre-defying force behind The Spikes, delivers a record that feels less like a debut and more like the arrival of a fully realized artistic universe. Released October 31st, 2025, the eight-track album is a cinematic, emotional, and atmospheric experience that pulls from rock history while shaping something unmistakably modern. We’ve reviewed a handful of singles, but as a whole record, he’s surpassed out wildest expectations!
First Light moves like a widescreen drama with moody lighting, shifting emotional palettes, sharp cuts, and slow zooms. You can hear the influence of vintage alternative rock in its DNA with the raw edges, the swirling guitars, and analog warmth, but the record still manages to avoid simple nostalgia. Instead, The Spikes use those textures as scaffolding for something fresh and deeply personal.
The eight tracks, spanning 33 minutes, form a cohesive narrative arc. This isn’t a scattershot collection of songs, rather it’s sequenced with purpose and emotional logic. Each track feels like a scene, distinct but interconnected, revealing different layers of vulnerability, tension, and catharsis. A major moment for us was on “Set Me Free”, mainly the breakout vocal moment in the record that lets you know he’s for real.
Vocally, Haussman is front and center, literally. The mixing places his voice high in the foreground, giving the record a confessional tone. His delivery is steeped in angst and emotional, but never at the expense of melody. There’s a poetic sting in the way he phrases lines, an authenticity that makes every moment feel like you’re there. He doesn’t sing so much as inhabit the songs.
The instrumentation mirrors that emotional breadth. The guitars move from hazy dream rock to jagged alt rock crunch. Percussion shifts from pulse to thunder and there’s plenty of piano lines scattered that really establish a tone.
First Light feels like a time capsule unearthed from the golden age of rock, then polished with modern production sensibilities. He blends the emotional rawness of classic rock with the introspective nuance of indie storytelling, resulting in a project that feels at once familiar and entirely new.
As The Spikes split time between the U.S. and Berlin, there’s no doubt this project will continue to evolve, but First Light stands as a powerful introduction even if you’ve been following along for a bit. For us, it quickly became a record with lasting power, one we know we’re going to return to super often.
For you though, introduce yourselves with a full listen and make sure to follow along to stay tuned for the latest.
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