Jake, can you tell us more about the inspiration behind “Late Nights” and how the song came to be?
So the song was kind of taken from a couple of different instances, and then we just made it a tad more extreme. It was inspired by a culmination of events from both my past and Josh’s that we just turned into one story. The song came to be as we were a bit unsure of what to write about that day, and after changing to that opening guitar line, we immediately started to talk about the topic of who wins the breakup.
The song is about the need for victory after a breakup. Can you elaborate on the emotions and experiences that influenced the lyrics?
Yeah, the experience was more so just based on that awkwardness between mutual friends when you recite the story to them, and they inevitably take sides. We went through a whole bunch of scenarios when writing the song to really put ourselves into the situation in order to write a relatable song.
“Late Nights” seems to touch on the idea of ‘winning’ a breakup. What message or perspective were you trying to convey with this concept?
The perspective we were trying to convey was about the mutual friends who are left to take sides in the messy situation. It highlights how someone’s reputation can be so easily tarnished by a breakup like this and the desire to almost cover ground in ensuring you haven’t lost friendships out of all of this.
The song opens with a meandering guitar line and a sense of heartbreak. How did the musical elements contribute to the overall mood of the track?
The musical elements contribute greatly to the mood of the song. We actually started that day making a completely different song which was piano-based. Eventually, we moved to the guitar, and we wrote a completely different song in the end. The overall mood of that guitar line completely changed the trajectory of the day; we were a bit lacking in energy for the first hour or so, and then after that guitar line came in, it changed our whole outlook, not only for the song but for the day ahead. The lingering sound of the guitar helped us develop some themes straight away such as hindsight and lack of closure.
Could you share some insights into the creative process of working with co-writer/producer Josh King on this song and how it contributed to the final product?
Working with Josh is great, not only have I now got a great mate out of all this, but we have some great songs to come. We tend to start our songs with a lead instrument and then we go straight to the drawing board where we list all the themes we want to talk about in the song. Throughout the sessions, we are known to take a few breaks during the day to do the necessities such as Basketball, Soccer, and footy along with getting food. Josh and I like to bounce a lot of ideas off one another and often just follow the process of elimination when deciding what melodies we will use in certain sections. For “Late Nights,” we were incredibly focused on ensuring from start to finish, the song had an easy-to-follow storyline. While we wrote the song pretty quickly for the most part, every word was contemplated and had its place.
The chorus of “Late Nights” appears to be a moment of emotional release. What was the thought process behind this part of the song?
That’s exactly how we envisioned it as well, this kind of letting go feeling in the chorus. We wanted the chorus to be bold straight from the start, and that’s why there’s that big moment right away. This triumphant moment is echoed through the words ‘tried to let it go’ which are sung in the chorus.
Can you walk us through the writing process and how it evolved in the studio?
As mentioned earlier, we look to create themes and topics for the song straight away so we know exactly what we want to delve into. For instance, with “Late Nights,” we were really focused on the ideas of fragility and closure, which allude to the question we base the song around of who wins the breakup. While writing the lyrics, we often just play the section on loop and freestyle a melody we like and add some words in as we go.
You worked with mixing and mastering professionals to bring “Late Nights” to life. How did their contributions impact the final version of the song?
Yeah, in the mixing process, we really saw “Late Nights” come to life; the song started to really come together, and the sound we were pushing came across really nicely. It was the same with mastering; after we got it back, we knew the song was ready to go, and we were stoked with the outcome.
What did Blake Malone and Leon Zervos bring to the table in terms of enhancing the song’s sound and quality?
I really liked the demo we had of “Late Nights,” but at the time, it didn’t feel special until we got the mix back from Blake, and we were both a bit shocked. All the elements of the instrumentals, the ambience, and everything else we had built started to come together, and it was a little bit surprising. Blake gave us a really great mix that so many people compliment when hearing the song, and he was a great third opinion on the song. Leon was great as well, the quality of sound after receiving the master back was second to none, once again just enhanced the song.
You mentioned that “Late Nights” is a collaboration with Josh King. Can you tell us more about your ongoing partnership and what we can expect from future collaborations?
For sure! Josh and I have been working together for around 1 and a half years now after someone connected us, and “Late Nights” is the third song we worked on together. We have many to come still, we’ve completed a fair few and aim to release them all over the next little period. Josh and I have really tried to create a signature sound which is reflected in all of our collaborations to come, and I’m very excited to release them one by one.
How do you see “Late Nights” fitting into your overall musical journey and the evolution of your sound as an artist?
“Late Nights” is my first real demonstration of my new refined sound. After not releasing and more or less starting from scratch over the last few years, I feel “Late Nights” fits the build really nicely of the sound I intend to keep going with. I only hope to go up with my music quality from here, and I feel the next release does that. “Late Nights” was the perfect song for me to step back into the world of releasing music again and to re-establish myself as a musician.
“Late Nights” is now available on streaming platforms. What can listeners expect from this track, and what other projects or releases can we anticipate from you in the near future?
Listeners can expect to hear an uplifting break-up song that you can really sing along to. Next year you can expect a couple of new singles coming out pretty early on in the year.
When and where are you playing next?
I’ve got nothing booked at the moment, but I’m sure there will be something coming up in the near future.
What’s planned for the remainder of 2023 going into 2024?
For the rest of 2023, I plan to just really get the most out of “Late Nights,” and then early into 2024, I’ll be coming out with more singles which will eventually lead into an EP.
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