nightlife are a soul-punk band, hailing from Baltimore, home to a diverse alternative scene. Each member of the band are well-versed in all things indie pop, prog metal to reggae and everything in between. From spending many years gigging around the city, there’s no denying the passion nightlife have for music and bringing a totally fresh and new vibe to the scene. Merge Donna Summer or The Weeknd with letlive. or add a drop of ISSUES and you’ve got nightlife.
We caught up with vocalist/producer, Hansel Romero to talk about their new EP, new low.
Hey nightlife, welcome to your first APU interview! How’s it going?
hey y’all! happy to be here ✌🏾 it’s going super well, feeling super fortunate rn.
For our readers who are new to nightlife, can you describe the band in three words or a phrase?
neo-soulpunk ✨
What’s the story behind nightlife and how did you first form?
our story is like, the story of our journeys as musicians really. Isaiah & i met in a prog metal band like 5 years ago, after he’d spent a few years playing around the scene & in a deathcore band with a few of the same dudes. he’s just been practicing & grinding like a mf, enough to get me insecure about my own lack of practicing which is always a great sign to me 😅 and Julian & i met a couple of years ago playing in a good friend’s rock band called Elizabeth II — he was on guitar, i was on bass. we jived, kept in touch, & eventually figured out we were both into the same kinda heavier music too. i brought them together to jam w me back in September & the vibe was there almost right away, even if the jams were just loose like…covers of Underoath songs with soul beats over top, and i’m pretty sure i was on bass then. & we all kinda knew we were all into like, neo-soul & old-school soul, r&b, hip-hop, the like, so when we started to come together to write it was almost right away that we had something we thought was interesting.
You’ve just dropped a new EP, new low and the response has been amazing – how are you guys feeling?
dawg……..,,,,,,
we’ve all said some variation of “holy fuck i can’t believe i’m not dreaming” in the group chat so far, if that’s any indication. we knew we liked the songs, you know? but no way in hell did we know the scene & industry would show us this kinda love — it’s really a dream come true already, not even kidding.
What was the recording/production process like for the EP and are there plans for another EP on the horizon?
man working on this EP was the most gratifying experience i’ve ever had. we did like 80% of it in Julian’s music room, & the last 20% or so at my place on my own. it usually looked something like i would make a demo idea that’s anywhere from like, 30s to 2min or more, bring it to Julian at some point that week, work on fleshing out some cooler parts with him (cuz he can actually play bass & guitar, i like to pretend i can 😇), & figure out the general structure & arrangement together. then i’d go home and work on filling out the production side of things — sound design, layering synths or drums, that kinda stuff. Isaiah would input on the drum side of things in-between, and some months later (after mostly just me banging my head against the wall tryna write vocals) the songs were born as they are. pretty nuts to think about lmao like what? always thought it’d be more intense than that.
we’re working on EP2 right now! our reach goal is to have it out by the end of October, mid-November at the latest, so if that doesn’t happen it’s because i didn’t get on my own ass enough & you’re all entitled to bully me about it.
Who would you say are your main influences?
oh man, the answer’s that age-old cliche “we all have a bunch of different influences,” but in general i’d say letlive., ISSUES, & Bad Rabbits are the biggest ones. besides like, Stevie Wonder & like Aretha Franklin & shit we all just have fucked with forever. Isaiah’s got a real groovy past in his influences — tons of neo-soul & hip-hop. Julian’s heavier on the reggae & funk side of things back there, & i’m a full sucker for most r&b from like 1979 to…basically now lmao.
What would be your dream tour line up?
aight in billing order: free nationals / anderson .paak w/ the free nationals – letlive. (fever333 if they ain’t available) – bad rabbits – nightlife
the groove on that tour y’all.
What would be your go to “feel good” song?
“spotlight” by Jessie Ware will instantly melt my worries away by the end of the intro. it’s insane.
Finally, do you have anything else to say to our APU readers?
yo, *thank* you for listening, for fucking w us, & for giving us a newfound confidence we didn’t know we needed. EP2 is gonna be nuts, EP3 will be even more wild, & we can’t wait to start playing out. also, pay attention to the baltimore scene! pinkshift, cherie amour, leisure sport, blk vapor, my hardcore band drip…..some really cool shit is happening here rn of all kinds. tap in & watch some truly special artists find themselves & get found ✌🏾
Check out the music video for “new low”:
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