NIGHTSHIFT

Formed in 2019, Nightshift rose out of the same burgeoning Glasgow scene that also produced inventive indie acts like Shopping, Current Affairs, and Vital Idles. After self-releasing their debut full-length, the group's blend of wiry post-punk, lo-fi production, and insistent melodies earned them an underground following and a deal with American indie Trouble in Mind, which issued 2021's Zöe. Guitarist David Campbell (formerly of I'm Being Good!), bassist Andrew Doig, who played with singer/songwriter Robert Sotelo, keyboardist/vocalist Eothen Stearn (2 Ply, Difficult), and drummer Chris White (Spinning Coin) initially launched the group as a no wave-inspired project rooted in the sounds of Sonic Youth and This Heat. Although they retained some of the sonic hallmarks of their early path, Nightshift quickly developed a new palette of sounds, particularly after adding guitarist/singer/clarinetist Georgia Harris (who had also played with Sotelo) to the lineup. On their eponymous self-released 2020 cassette, they worked through strains of muted post-punk, psychedelia, and lo-fi indie pop to create their own distinctive mix. Fans took notice, as did Chicago label Trouble in Mind, which added Nightshift to their roster. Released in early 2021, the band's next album, Zöe, took a more abstract approach, in part due to the scattered nature of its creation while in quarantine. Collaborating remotely, the band took cues from Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies concepts to further expand their creative vision. ~ Timothy Monger