Review: Night Argent Make Arena-Sized Splash with Debut Self-Titled EP

unnamed (2)

Pasco, WA is about to be on the map. You might be thinking, “You mean the Tri-Cities, right? What good could come out of a small cow town in the middle of wheat fields and agriculture?” The band Night Argent, that’s who. Composed of members Chase Manhattan, Jeff Stachofsky, Shane Santanna, Evan Taylor and Zac Burrell, they have an EP that could easily be found on a playlist that includes Imagine Dragons, Bastille, and Awolnation. This EP is packed with rock-tinged tracks, filled with infectious lyrics and melodies.

Chase Manhattan’s voice has a deeply emotional quality and range. Every note is sung with believable intensity, and the band matches with great dynamics and skillful playing. I’m having a hard time picking my favorites out of this EP, because to my ears, every single one is a song I could play over and over and not get bored of for a really long time. The songwriting is solid, the musicality is fantastic, evidenced by the track “Nothing More Beautiful,” which is slowed down on a deconstructed version at the end of the EP. Both are sumptuous and filled with a lot of heart.

Night Argent dips their toes into a bit of industrial sounds with the tracks “Towers” and “Widowmaker.” “Widowmaker” is a deeply rock-infused track, blended with hard-hitting drum beats and vocal attacks that will have you singing along in short order. The track “Kamikaze” starts out with an enticing heartbeat and vocals that any singer would be proud of. By the way, IF there’s auto tune, it is not evident. The track “Comet” screams youth, freedom and love. Who can go wrong with that? Alright, I take it back. Best track is “Kamikaze.” Hands down.

If any band deserves attention right now, it’s Night Argent. They’ve got a solid project that you need to preorder, buy, anything to support these local musicians. They’ve got something that, if the world pays attention, will blow up in the scope of Macklemore, and then I won’t have to say, “I told you so.”

(Night Argent’s eponymous EP is available for preorder via iTunes. If you preorder now, you get the track “Widowmaker” now, ahead of its mid-April release. You can stream the music video for “Widowmaker” below.)

 photo GigtownAustin.jpg

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!