It’s been a long time since we’ve last heard from Night Riots. Following the last one of many promotional tours for their 2016 debut full length, Love Gloom, the California five-piece took a step back from the public eye, spending much of the past year tucked away in the studio up until their recent re-emergence. With the announcement of a new US tour and UK stint in London and Reading & Leeds festivals comes a new era and new album, New State of Mind.
Night Riots have mostly been known for their distinctive style of blending the genres of modern indie-rock and new wave with a varying sense of impending gloom throughout each release and New State of Mind holds its ground steadily within the band’s discography.
Album kick-starter track “Tokyo Diamond Eyes” is an energizing, foot-tapping gem, showing a more experimental sound compared to their previous work, and something listeners can definitely expect to hear more of.
Throughout the album you’ll notice themes of love, frustration and modern youth take hold. “Flashy Love” speaks specifically about a time where you can already feel you’re falling for someone and…well, we all know that’s pretty stressful, but you really can’t do anything to get that person out of your head.
“On The Line” is a refreshing twist on a party. Lead singer Travis Hawley explained that it takes its inspiration from a party he attended in their hometown of California, sharing that there was a moment so natural and real between a group of girls where they had no intention of impressing anyone. “Loyal to the Game” is stylized in such a minimalistic way that allows the brooding sensuality of the lyrics to take center stage; almost as if its influence were coming from film noir. “Paint me as your silhouette/your royal hue of gold” is an unforgettable line.
“In the City” is definitely the anthem of intense summer loves and adventures. This is 100% a tropical pop song (not too surprising if you take into account that “Fangs” from Love Gloom did have elements leaning into this), discussing the opportunities of a new city and feeling stuck all at the same time.
We’ve all been through that bittersweet phase of letting go of someone we once had feelings for, and if there’s a song on the record that perfectly describes the moment, “Talk About It” is it. “How you’re feeling now is not up to me, go ahead and take it all ‘cause I’m finally free.” “Colour Morning,” however, brings a more peaceful pace to the album, featuring an atmospheric sound accompanied by Hawley’s soothing vocals.
In case you were wondering where the tearjerkers come into the picture, it’s “Not Too Late!” Let’s place this one into the same category of Night Riots songs as “Spiders” or “As You Are” in the playlist of monthly scheduled cries (as one does) – or perhaps the soundtrack of a future indie movie that will break your heart? This one cuts deep because of loss, regret, unsaid things, and the hardships of moving on. “I know that one day you’ll be gone/ I will keep singing your song/God knows life moves on.” It is agreeably the most favorite of ours and we would love to hear more of this lyrical direction in the future.
Single “Leave Us Alone” carries on a Depeche Mode-like dark synth melody that is an instant earworm. With a rebellious chorus, it’s a definite highlight of the 10 track album and potentially, upcoming live shows.
Ending our journey with “Enjoy The Ride,” the lyrics once again feed off of experiences of attraction. With a slightly darker musical undertone thanks to the pretty sick riff flowing through, which brings Royal Blood to mind, this one is sure to be a crowd favorite. The California coastline makes a recurring appearance – in fact, we could take the location as background inspiration for the entire record.
Night Riots are known for putting on an amazing live show as they always go over the top no matter the size of the venue they’re playing. With these new songs we can definitely expect lots of energy and that’s enough to keep us excited for the future and this ‘new state of mind.’
*Review by Dora Udvardi and Natalia Cuellar
New State of Mind is available now here.
