Nightair's Debut EP entitled ******** is anything but nebulous

The first track on Nightair's debut EP ******** is called The Roses. It is a jammy rocker drenched with youthful punk bravado, pursed lips, a killer beat and piercing lead lines that almost seem mocking. The sound grabs you instantly and while I couldn't not think about The Strokes and The Drums, that comparison falls away quickly.  While Julien Casablancas's vocal delivery feels a bit like a drunken stupor and Jonny Pierce can feel aloof, Tony Davia's vocal performances feel like fun flirtations.

In Clouds amidst a jagged cadence and heavy bass lines he twists out interesting rhymes as he coos "the cynicism.... just teenagism" and later says "but others say I'm immature" and then asks "but what is mature?" The lyrics are smartly poetic. I mean who uses "nebulous" in a pre-chorus? I also love how the background vocals shine in an almost 50's doo wop sort of way.

Supernova has a heavy dance swing. It rocks but feels a bit tweeny except for the fact that Tony sings "minutes and seconds.... fuck it forget it" but then, hey, I hear 12 year olds dropping F-Bombs (in between cigarette drags). As soon as I thought I had Nightair's sound, their indie pop aesthetic figured out I hear the track Waiting For Rain. It has, to me, a more mature sound than what came before. It feels more vast and romantic. It has a kind of sultry vibe and then takes off at a full pace. I thought of the Libertines. Great track.

The final track Blackshirt feel like tropical punk, it is my least favorite on the EP but it still has a lot to offer. The musical bed is super dancy and feels like that dance is at the beach. I dunno, I guess I have an aversion to songs that have "Maserati" in the lyric and some of the rhymes feel more silly than clever BUT overall this EP is pretty killer. In fact, the first 4 songs feel pretty perfect especially for such an obviously young band. I am not sure what the average age of Nightair's members is but I am pretty sure that I have more than one rock T-shirt that is older. Well done guys I look forward to seeing live performance videos and your debut full fledged album.
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Robb Donker