The War on Drugs' Dave Hartley Returns with Moonshine EP, the Latest From His Hazy Nightlands Project
One of the best bassists in the game, Hartley continues to show his diversity and more melodious side as Nightlands
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Dave Hartley’s work may be best known as the bassist in The War on Drugs, but he also records under the solo alias of Nightlands, a spacey outlet for multi-tracked harmonies and pocket symphonies. A founding member who is the only person to play on all of The War on Drugs’ albums besides leader Adam Granduciel, Hartley is following the band’s biggest year yet by releasing Moonshine, an upcoming record on the always reliable Western Vinyl label.
While I consider The War on Drugs to be one of my favorite bands of the past decade, if I could only listen to one album related to the group, it would be Nightlands’ 2017 record, I Can Feel the Night Around Me. A psychedelic dream pop gem that is more playful than any offering from Hartley’s day job, I Can Feel the Night Around Me has been my go-to soundtrack for fine sunsets and happy hours since its release almost five years ago.
There still isn’t a release date for the full-length album, but in the meantime, Hartley is offering a delicious taster on the Moonshine EP. Continuing to build on the spacey throwback soft prog sounds of I Can Feel the Night Around Me, these six offerings from Moonshine sound even more easy-going, partially thanks to Hartley relocating from Philadelphia to Asheville, North Carolina for the recording sessions.
After the short instrumental “Beasters,” the EP flows into its centerpiece, “Hymn To Me,” a breezy number that pulls from late 70s-era Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Hartley began working on the song after a 2015 stay at Big Pink, the legendary house in Saugerties, New York, where Bob Dylan and The Band recorded The Basement Tapes. Well worth the wait, the song features guitar from Meg Duffy of Hand Habits, and Hartley’s harmonies are his strongest yet.
“No Alabama” quietly shuffles along, allowing its Jerry-esque wah pedal work and hypnotic refrains to take center stage, while “Don’t Tread on Me” is thankfully not a Metallica cover. The song brings back Hartley’s love of a vocoder’s robotic voices, which glide over a phased-out beat. Finally, “Wonder” features the most melodious bassline in the set, but it’s the hazy “Wonder Reprise” that connects with its shimmering keyboard pads.
Between The War on Drugs and appearing on so many other records, Dave Hartley has become one of the best bassists in the game. But with Nightlands, he’s able to demonstrate his more leftfield interests and the project deserves just as much attention.
Moonshine is TBA on Western Vinyl.
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