The project of multi-instrumentalist David Hartley, Nightlands dwells somewhere near the crossroads of dreamy psych-pop, soft rock, and prog rock while revealing a love of experimentation inspired by growing up with a genetic engineer father. A distinctive element of the project's sound is processed vocals by which the singer sometimes adopts the sentimental persona of the "silver man." Hartley is also the bassist for the War on Drugs. He had already been with the band for around five years when his Nightlands debut, Forget the Mantra, appeared in 2010. Some of his War on Drugs bandmates were among the guests on subsequent releases, including 2013's Oak Island and 2022's Moonshine, Nightlands' fourth album.