Review by Shannon Shumaker
Night Lights’ new EP, Here We Come caught me by surprise. The first track on the five song EP, “Hit The Water,” starts off with a slow, mellow guitar part and soft vocals, and within a few seconds I think that I have the band pegged. That is, however, until the dancy, poppy chorus comes in and shakes things up. Night Lights manage to jump from mellow, toned down verses into catchy, upbeat choruses in the first track with ease. They don’t play it safe, and that’s easily one of the coolest things about Here We Come.
Following “Hit The Water” is the upbeat single, “Make Me Smile,” and by the time the chorus kicks in, it’s hard not to smile. If Night Lights should be known for anything, it should be for the infectious happiness that oozes out of their sound. The soft guitar parts coupled with gorgeous vocals and upbeat melodies are definitely this band’s trademark. The echoing, almost surreal guitar parts throughout the entire EP are gorgeous.
The only real downside on Here We Come comes on the reverb effect on the vocals in some songs. In tracks such as “Here We Come” and “Stutter” the effect was just a little too much, but thankfully it’s not distracting to the point where it is impossible to enjoy the song. After all, it’s hard not to enjoy this EP. The last track on Here We Come, “Teach Me How To Love,” is particularly strong – the catchy chorus is absolutely perfect.
Night Lights’ Here We Come is just easy to listen to. The vocals, the soft guitar work and the surreal quality of the music are soft, inviting and relaxing. The five tracks on Here We Come serve as a great snapshot of Night Lights – each song is different and strong in their own aspect, but still manage to compliment one another well in order to create a well rounded record. I can’t wait to see what Night Lights do next!
Rating: 3.5/5
Listen to “Teach Me How To Love”