Review Summary: Rich, dense post-punk with a touch of existentialism
Nite Fields are a post-punk group from Brisbane, Australia, defined by a heavy melancholic tone and use of guitar and synths similar to the '80s English bands.
Although it’s easy to compare them to their correspondents, Nite Fields deliver a powerful blend of gloomy instrumentals and lush, affected vocals. I’m going to say this from now.. this album is definitely a grower. The rich sounds don’t feel tiresome and always invite you to discover different feelings within the same tracks. The record revolves around the theme of “depersonalisation”, a disorder consisting of detachment from oneself’s world, as a passive observer of one’s life. The repeating choruses “I don’t let you in my mind” (You I Never Knew) and “Desire hurts” (Fill the Void) focus around the relationship with a person/self. I especially dig the way the instrumental is following the chorus, sustaining it, letting it breathe (like in “You I Never Knew”). Although the lyrics are short and centered around catchphrases, the offering of a statement can be heard.
Take the hole in my heart/And fill the void/Every piece fall apart/For you to join
The record covers an array of themes belonging to the philosophical movement known as existentialism. With such subjects as freedom, the idea of oneself as a stranger and the implications of hell on earth, they draw inspiration from Sartre, Kierkegaard and Camus. The band’s sound is very cohesive and the record rewards multiple listenings. The instrumentals are wonderful and easy to get into, the hooks are always there and the record altogether is a warm and tempting invitation to post-punk. At times, it reminded me of the work of such acts found on the Sacred Bones list (Pop 1280), but with more pop value and lush, circular sounds.
The end of the album revolves around a duet: “Like a Drone”, that seems to complement very nicely the lonely ambiance of the final track “Winter’s Gone”. They fill in the existential narrative.
This is definitely a great record and I encourage everyone with a slight attraction to darker music to give this some full listens. I am eager to find out about more releases from Nite Fields in the near future and let’s hope they will come back with the same richness in sound and ambition in philosophical statements.
