NYTE SKYE Reflect On Distant Memories in New Single “Take Me Up Again”.
“I wrote this when things were quite bleak and everyone was isolating. It felt like all we had was our family and we had to keep each other going,” says Nyles Lannon of Northern California-based alt-rock band NYTE SKYE about their second single, “Take Me Up Again,” inspired by The Cure.
Taken from their atmospheric and delightfully ethereal debut album, Vanishing, which arrives January 10 via Sonic Ritual, “Take Me Up Again” follows the reverb-drenched single “Dream State (I’m Vanishing)” harboring similar feelings about the strange effects the pandemic had on the world. “I wanted the song to operate like a time-capsule of sorts, for me at least. How strange it was to go on a road trip when everyone we encountered was distant, masked, and a little fearful…I knew this time would eventually pass, and how strange it would all seem in the rear-view mirror. As life gets back to our new normal, I find myself missing those times together,” Nyles adds.
When writing “Take Me Up Again,” connecting the pieces instrumentally was a process of trial and error. “It first started as a very simple electronic song, kind of like a stripped-down old Cure song. We experimented a lot with different sounds. Skye (Nyle’s Son) had found a vintage marching drum at a thrift store; turns out it was a 1930’s Ludwig. We found some missing parts and hardware online and we were able to refurbish it. It had a deep, long decay and tons of overtones. We also used a broken China cymbal on the choruses, referencing a bit from the song ‘Destination Unknown’ by Missing Persons and Terry Bozzio’s awesome drumming on that. This loud trashy banging, gives the choruses a signature sound and it just seemed to work,” describes Nyles.
Building on the synergistic family dynamic of vocalist/guitarist Nyles (who hails from the celebrated shoegaze band Film School) and his son Skye (who recorded this album when he was only 12 years old) on drums, Nyte Skye was formed of equal parts frustration from quarantined sheltering that COVID brought and the boundless creativity that arose from having nowhere to go and nothing to do. Nyles explains, “The songs on Vanishing capture the little ways my son and I were coping with those early days of the pandemic; some reflective and poignant, some escapist, some playful. Music was our bond and in some ways our guiding light. It gave us a focused goal while we processed what was happening, together in our little world.”
With the emotional toll of lockdown getting farther and farther away in the rearview mirror, the creative nucleus of Nyte Skye continues to explore the textured foundation that Nyles’ Film School has built and expands on it, incorporating elements of other bands that they love, such as The Cure, Spiritualized, Elliott Smith, and The Police (one of Skye’s main influences is Stewart Copeland). “I am so grateful for this connection we have,” beams Nyles. “Do we drive each other crazy sometimes? Of course. He always needs to have food when we play, for instance, otherwise, everything becomes about food. Sometimes I have to remind myself that he is still a kid in some ways and hasn’t been playing in bands for 30 years like me. Yet, when he plays, he is just a damn good drummer.”
Ultimately, not only did working on music help the duo cope with a uniquely challenging situation, but just being stuck at home helped stoke their creativity. “Music was the only thing I did during the pandemic, besides online school,” Skye says. “It gave us all this time we didn’t have before to make the album.” For Nyles—knowing they might never have that kind of time again—to be able to put out a record with his son is, simply, “a dream come true.”
VANISHING
Tracklist
1.“Dream State (I’m Vanishing)“
2. “Guided By A Hand”
3. “Doing Time”
4. “Take Me Up Again“
5. “Moon Rabbit”
6. “Take Your Love
7. “I’m A Drag”
8. “Gonna Be Alright”
9. “Faded”
10. “Two Wolves In The Heart”
Nyte Skye is Nyles Lannon (vocals, guitars) and Skye Lannon (drums) with additional contributions from Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave), Nichole Kreglow (backup vocals), lyricist Neil Rodenmeyer (Lupa Rosa), and Ian McDonald (FUTRVST). “Take Me Up Again” was written, recorded, and produced by Nyles Lannon and Skye Lannon and mixed by Dan Long (Local Natives, Film School, Kevin Devine).
Nyte Skye’s new single “Take Me Up Again” is out now and available on all streaming platforms. The band’s upcoming debut album Vanishing is out on January 10, 2023 via Sonic Ritual (Queen Kwong, Imaad Wasif, Gypsum).