Revisiting your old music is like meeting an old friend you haven’t seen in years. It’s a path of rediscovery, where you recognize the familiar notes and rhythms, but see them through the lens of all you’ve experienced since. It’s as if you’re unearthing forgotten treasures, each chord and lyric a relic of your past self, waiting to be reawakened. With a fresh perspective, you realize that your old music is not just a static creation but a living, breathing entity that evolves with you. It’s like watching a river flow; the water is never the same, yet its essence remains constant.
Night Nail dives deep into the deep well of their own past and emerges with the recharged Nowhere (Kill Shelter Remix), a track originally brought to life at Valley Recording Studios in 2014. Picture this: James Hendrix on bass guitar, Justin Deactivere on synths, Justin Lomery on guitars and backing vocals, Bryan Panzeri on drums, and Brandon Robert on guitars and vocals, all fueled by youthful exuberance, raw energy, and a budget that barely covered the pizza. They managed to make their mark, despite the odds.
Never quite satisfied with the original recording, Brandon whisked the masters off to Berlin, Germany, where he’s been hanging out for the last seven years with a revamped lineup that includes Justin Deactivere and Ilija Gavrilenko. After some serious tinkering and remastering by Pete Burns (Kill Shelter), the song – already a black diamond in the rough – finally hits its stride. Drawing inspiration from legends like the Chameleons, Tones on Tail, and The Sound, Night Nail confronts their old ghosts with renewed purpose and gusto.
“Some songs take longer than others to finish, even 10 years might be required, if your resources are limited when you first start out,” says Robert.
Some things are worth the wait.
The DIY performance video has a few fun cameos: Pete Burns makes an appearance, as well as Valentina Veil (VV & the Void).
Night Nail’s music is like a playful Zen koan, refusing to fit neatly into any box or label. They dance joyfully on the edges of genres, dipping into a vast reservoir of musical history while cheekily thumbing its nose at the borders. Robert presents melodies that defy time and space, liberating our ears from the shackles of classification and definition. It’s a harmonious rebellion, a delightful reminder that music, like life, is best enjoyed without trying to pin it down.
Listen to the original version of Nowhere here.
Night Nail celebrates ten years since the band first erupted on the dark wave scene in LA with the release of Early Demons & Demos (10th Anniversary Edition) on Metropolis Records, out on June 28th, 2024.
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