Just a little over half a year since the release of their debut record, night, love you, Nashville-based alt-pop band Nightly is back with, arguably, one of their best songs to date. “loner/lover” is an obvious and immediate contender for song of the summer, with the boys throwing down the gauntlet right up against heavy-hitters like Olivia Rodrigo with new single “good 4 u” and Justin Bieber, Daniel Caeser and Giveon with “Peaches.” The upbeat electro-pop track contains subtle yet effective production choices, bits of descriptive lyrical imagery typical of Nightly and a short yet concise lyrical narrative within its two-and-a-half-minute runtime. 

One of the standout aspects of Nightly’s music is without a doubt the relatability factor. With this song, the boys intentionally or unintentionally shout out all the introverts making an attempt at being extroverted but failing miserably; “Cause Thursday I’ll go out, drink too much and call someone that I shouldn’t now. The next day I’ll wake up and wonder what I was thinking.” We’ve all been there, right?  

But it’s not just about turning your phone on in shame the morning after sending that unwarranted snap or making a FaceTime call you know you shouldn’t have, whether the other person answered or not. It’s so much more than that. It’s the mental tug-of-war between putting yourself out there and potentially having a great time or just staying home wondering what would have happened; “Part of me is depressed while the other side is happy. Fear of missing out, but I hate going to parties.”

For Jonathan Capeci, Nightly’s lead vocalist, it could be either of those things, but it could also be lingering trauma from past relationships and experiences, like the ones he described on tracks like “mess in my head” or “not like you” on night, love you. He literally sings, “the angel is always trying to fight the devil on my shoulder,” proving that those demons are still with him even as he tries his best to shake them off. 

Man, this song is deep. Kind of sad, even. But wait? Are those…..fast hand claps? Is that entire chorus something I memorized after only two listens and that I desperately want to jump around and scream along to at a concert post-COVID? Is that mini drop halfway through the chorus not totally tasteful and well placed? Is that instrumental bit in the chorus almost as cool as the one from “this time last year”? The answer to all of those questions is yes. The mindset might not be completely positive, but the overall sound does not reflect that. We’ve wallowed in enough self-pity and fear over the last 14 months. They gave us a bop. It’s playful, it’s fun and, honestly, it’s one of their best yet. 

You can stream “lover/loner” out now wherever you stream music or via the band’s Spotify account, linked below.