When Nightlands opened for Efterklang at The Earl last week, I overheard a member of the audience say to his friend, “this sounds like depressed robot music!” I’m not sure if the comment was meant to be an observation, criticism, or praise, but it struck a note of truth. Not only does the band’s frontman Dave Hartley appear completely painted in metallic silver on his new album Oak Island‘s cover art but he delivers his melodies through heavily distorted effects giving them a mechanical and synthesized feel. Plus, if you follow him on Instagram, you’ll notice his profile tagline is “Sighborg.”
But don’t think it’s all slow strumming, sad songs. Oak Island has some great upbeat pop songs – “I Fell In Love With A Feeling” being one of my favorites (video below). That track is one of the ones that fits his record label’s description of “a silver-voiced melody wrapped in the sounds of 70s AM gold – plucked acoustic guitars, trumpets, dulcimers and hand percussion.”
All in all, what you do get with Nightlands is something completely original and completely unexpected from a member of The War on Drugs. His voice warbles electronically, his guitar stutters with a staccato rhythm, and his melodies are catchy.
Check out his latest release out on Secretly Canadian and don’t miss an opportunity to catch the band touring with Danish geniuses Efterklang through the rest of the month.
Upcoming Nightlands Tour Dates w/ Efterklang
- Mon. March 11 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
- Wed. March 13 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
- Thu. March 14 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore
- Fri. March 15 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
- Mon. March 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar Cultural Center
- Tue. March 19 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
- Thu. March 21 – Toronto, ON @ Mod Club [Canadian Music Week]
- Fri. March 22 – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
- Sat. March 23 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom