For the Record is Nightlife’s second EP in only two years, however it’s a strong effort for such an early time in a band’s life. The record is concise and the band seem very sure of their sound. The lyrics are easy to pick up and on only the first listen of track Good Intentions you’ll find you’re able to sing along with parts of it.
In fact the whole six track EP is easy to pick up and a total sing-along with driving guitars and drums throughout. This is especially true of track Remedy which will easily be stuck in the your head for the rest of the day and beyond.
It’s still early days for Nightlife, but with only their second EP showing this much promise, it’s only a matter of time until we see what the band can really do on a grander scale.
7/10
We caught up with Nightlife to introduce themselves.
What are you about?
Paul (Vocals): Nightlife has formed out of the ashes of many other bands. We came together through our mutual ideals of making music that excites us. For me, I’m most happy when I’m playing music I genuinely love. We’re an honest folk, I write about what I know and what has happened to me personally. I’d like to think we’re refreshing as there’s no bullshit really – we aim to create the best music we can.
Where/who do you take your influences from?
I try to be influenced by music that has stood the test of time. Fads are damaging and come back to haunt you like teenage pictures of your parents in flares and platform shoes. I stick to what I know and the bands I have always relied on. Foo Fighters have been with me for a very long time and still hype me up when I listen to them. Anything with a strong riff will always get my blood fizzing, whether it’s The Hives, Bloc Party or Queens of The Stone Age. That song you would put on whilst you’re getting ready to go out, or the track that gets you through that final mile on the treadmill at the gym.
Tell us about your song writing and recording process.
The song writing process for me is a bit of a trial and error process, and what tends to happen is I write and re-write songs endlessly until I’m happy, something the rest of the band have got used to. I’m pedantic to say the least and although our writing process is pretty quick, there’s a lot of personal torment that happens to get there. Recording-wise we like to do a lot of pre-production and demo as much as we can. This helps us to hear things subjectively and listen almost as an outsider, highlighting what the song may need/what could be done better.
You’ve just released your second EP, which means your currently averaging a release a year. Looking to make a full length release in 2014?
Absolutely. Timing is everything when it comes to an album, the only reason we have waited is because we wanted people to get to know us a bit more before we brought out a full length. An album is always better received when it is anticipated so I hope the EP whets the appetite!
What do you think about the current music business?
Haha I’ll try and keep this one short as I can be a cynical bastard when I get going. It’s a bit of a constant battle between good and evil I suppose. It’s become almost a cliché to complain about mainstream pop music that consists of the same bland ingredients. Having said that, I truly hate the ‘Xfactor culture’, with its endless production line of empty-calorie pop-stars. Churning out soulless singing drones that are drip fed to the helpless public year after year. The way I see it, to be a musician surely you should write your own material? That’s when you are an artist; otherwise you are just a human jukebox. Where I think it is doing well is through the survival of the digital era. Physically distributed music has lost a lot of value since technological advancements, and it’s never been easier for us to listen to whatever we want by the click of a button. Culturally we have made an emphasis on live music, more festivals appear every year and there is a wider market for it. This has supplemented a lot of the money lost through selling CDs, I don’t think it will be long till physically released music disappears entirely, bit of a shame really!
What’s up next for Nightlife?
As much as possible! We’re playing our release show this Saturday 19th October at Camden Barfly, which I can’t wait for as it is our first headline show with this band and we’re playing our longest set so far. After that we’re going to do our best to get on the road and tour before the end of the year. We’re constantly writing and I want to get an album out as soon as it’s ready so keep your eyes peeled for that one.
