Nightlands is the solo project of The War on Drugs’ band member Dave Hartley shared a video for his new song “Stare Into the Sun.” It is the latest release from his forthcoming studio album, “Moonshine”, which will be out on July 15th via Western Vinyl Records.
“The spark for this song started when I heard ‘Human Nature’ (from Thriller) at a gas station,” states Hartley in a press release. “The chords in the intro of that tune activated something in my heart and I wanted to write something with similar modulating chords. There’s some surrealism happening here. Hundreds of vocals overdubbed creating an uncanny, fractured gospel vibe. The lyrics stand in contrast to the overall vibe, though: it’s a lush, melancholy song about pure anger. I love the arpeggiating synth solo in the break and I’m proud of the way the lyrics poured out. It didn’t feel like composition, it felt like therapy.”
Upon announcement of the new album back in April, Hartley shared the title track, “Moonshine.” He later shared a further track “No Kiss For the Lonely.”
Even in light of the album’s vocal emphasis, Hartley’s history as a bassist brilliantly beams through “Moonshine”, giving effortless and sprightly movement to songs like “Down Here,” which also features an extended section of saxophone lent by his Western Vinyl labelmate, Joseph Shabason. In addition to Shabason, the album hosts a short list of remote collaborators including four of Hartley’s bandmates from The War on Drugs, Robbie Bennet, Anthony Lamarca, Eliza Hardy Jones, and Charlie Hall, as well as exotica virtuoso Frank Locrasto (Cass McCombs, Fruit Bats), and producer Adam McDaniel (Avey Tare, Angel Olsen). Hartley was forced to keep the guest list small out of the necessity of pandemic isolation, coupled with his move to a smaller city, all of which challenged him to do most of the album’s heavy lifting right down to the mixing duties, resulting in the most independent effort of his career. By that measure, “Moonshine” is also the clearest image yet of Dave Hartley as a person and creator.
Hartley’s last solo album, “I Can Feel the Night Around Me“, came out in 2017 via Western Vinyl.
Releases July 15th, 2022
The Fat Angel Sings 