Nights Beats hail from Seattle and craft an upbeat, distorted, twangy garage rock sound with this album— their third (and first with Heavenly Recordings). Their sound varies from song to song, but can be summed up as ’60s psychedelic rock with a groovy twist. While the album, Who Sold My Generation, is diverse enough, the individual songs seem to have very familiar influences conceptually reminiscent of the musty sofa in your childhood garage. This is not a deterrence, but it less appealing than when you pop in an album with completely unique rhythms and instrumental arrangements.
But hey, it’s garage rock. Lo-fi. Mellow and smooth. Melodic yet distorted. “Bad Love” introduces some saxed-up jivin’ sounds. “Burn to Breath” verges off the tracks into stringed experimentation and then collects itself, while maintaining a Dan Auerbach feel throughout. “Porque Mañana” is a breed of its own. Jogging drums and guitar allow for the lead guitarist and singer, Lee Blackwell, to whip out what can only be compared to the Parquet Courts, but in Spanish. “Last Train to Jordan” is eerily similar to The Stooges’ “No Fun”. “Egyptian Berry” adds to the world influence, but is something that would be played in the Luxor in Vegas rather than Egypt. It rounds the album out and certainly shows the capability of the Night Beats as it hums along and runs rampant for five and a half minutes.
Recommended If You Like: Thee Oh Sees, Parquet Courts, Strange Boys, Black Lips, Ty Segall
Recommended Tracks: 12 (Egyptian Berry), 3 (Right/Wrong), 7 (Shangri Lah), 5 (Porque Mañana)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Colin Smith on 02/02/16