Some casual music fans tend to misunderstand what goth is. Perhaps we have the proliferation of sour turns in MTVland to thank for that. Goth is about having a hell of a time while fully embracing the macabre in saucy ways, much like an Edward Gorey graphic novel. It is in this school of thought that you will find nite nite, who hail from a place not necessarily known for zealots of Bela Legosi - Nashville.
Enter classically-trained Sarah-Brooks Levine and songwriting maestro Davis Chatfield, both alums of MTSU and armed with icy chops, preternatural style sensibilities, and a love for The Cure and Siouxsie Sioux. Bassist Matthew Gibson Brown rounds out this triumphant trio informed by Warhol’s Factory sound, new wave, and complex pop rhythms sure to pique the interest of Dresden Dolls fans. Their dynamic, synth-heavy melodies, intricate song structures, danceable rhythm, ethereal vocals, and crooning, tongue-firmly-in-cheek glam rock flavor have not only added a fresh and delightfully morbid dimension to The Music City’s scene, but have also earned the gals and guy opening slots for Mates of State, The Pink Spiders, and The Faint.
Their cavernous dance parties have spooked (in the best of senses) writers at Deli Magazine, Nashville Scene, and more. Now the group is aiming to spread the grisly gospel elsewhere on various nationwide jaunts in preparation for their forthcoming debut full-length. Every nite nite show takes the audience back to the days of London’s Batcave, while also adding a bit of Nashville flair to keep things distinct. Come out and wear your best lipstick.
For fans of: Siouxsie & The Banshees, Public Image Ltd., The Cure, Bauhaus, Birthday Party (emphasis on party) -Michael Powell
PRESS
"The night started out with an impressive set from local goth-tinged popsters nite nite, who filled the room with their trademark brand of dreamy, melancholy tunes." -Jesse Baker (thedelimagazine.com/nashville 12/18/08)
"In between standing on the crowded 4-by-4 porch to smoke (the storm disqualified The End's outdoor area as an option), the opportunity to catch melancholy rockers, nite nite, was a fortunate one. The band sounded tight, with an interesting dynamic between semi-upbeat keyboard hooks, and a gloomy aesthetic and sound among the rest of the band that proved quite enjoyable. Definitely worth noting were the intimate, impassioned vocals which seemingly laid the entire mood the band was looking for." -Jesse Baker (thedelimagazine.com/nashville 10/24/08)
"No one here is going to pose in front of railroad tracks with a dusty guitar and pretend they don't have an iPhone in their back pocket... this lineup wants to make out with you in a bathroom stall and then send you back out into a sweaty club with lipstick smeared on your face. Franklin's Cali opens things with an R&B-inflected pop-set, then gives way to stylemongers nite nite, who've been busy this year with residencies at springwater among other venues for their sleek, whistful pop." -Steve Haruch (The Nashville Scene 9/11/08)
"The co-ed crew was sheepish-looking and clad in black, but we assumed their semi-Gothic aesthetics were merely incidental. Turns out we were wrong. Their synth-heavy droning hooks and driving beats fell somewhere between Joy Division and The Faint. nite nite certainly provided an interesting take on post-punk..." -The Spin (Nashvillescene.com 5/29/08)
"Chatfiled’s melancholy croon is clear as a bell and playfully yelpy, occasionally recalling a moodier Harriet Wheeler, and they’ve channeled their jangly post-punk influences into a batch of atmospheric, loungy beats and wintry keyboard plinks." -Tracy Moore (The Nashville Scene 12/20/07)
A shakeup in the rhythm section may have been part of the reason why it took Nashville post-punk act nite nite - consisting of singer/guitarist Davis Chatfiled and keyboardist Sarah-Brooks Levine - more than a year to release this debut EP. The now-duo has yet to establish a permanent full lineup, but the material here certainly shows they deserve one. Some of these melancholy numbers feel heavily inspired by Joy Division (a few choppy riffs could be layered straight into "She's Lost Control"), but, unlike a score of indie acts lazing about in post-punk murk, the arrangements here are restless and inventive. It also helps that Chatfiled's halcyon voice is a far and soothing cry from such bands' cold bleating - and pretty unusual, too. -Dave Paulson (All the Rage 12/19/07)
