Based in New York, The Women of the Night are a rock n’ roll gang, playing songs that follow the pace of the street and the voices of the unconsciousness mind. The gang is made up of Jordan D’Arsie on guitar and vocals, Kyubae Lee on drums and Grey Watson, the talented bassist. This summer sees the release of “Pastel Colors”, self released on Manic Records. A concept EP split into 2 complimentary sides reflecting the duality of D’Arsie' songwriting. Hot and cold, light and dark and all alleys in between. A collection of everyday distillations, flicking between the conscious and the unconscious, something of a split personality. Voyeurism for the soul.
The EP “Pastel Colors” kicks off with the rather edgy “I Am Well And Missing You”. It’s a gritty piece and allows for the perfect introduction to The Women of The Night’s sound. There are smart lyrics delivered with real precision and some fabulously unexpected melodic twists and turns which keeps the listener on the edge of their seat. Couple that with some snappy, crisply-recorded drums sounds and some genre-baffling guitars and the album is off to a flying start!
The title track “Pastel Colors” continues to intoxicate with some wonderful guitar and production flourishes.There is great space for the lead vocal to shine and demand the attention. Rhythmically and melodically interesting, the vocals weave around proceedings in the most accomplished of ways, avoiding cliché but also going to places that are immediately satisfying. There’s an unhurried confidence about it all that we can’t get enough of. We get a change of pace for “White Lighter”, it’s a unique mix of pummeling guitar, heavy riffs and genre-straddling changes. “Moscow Mansions” is an early highlight, building up slowly, layer by layer, fusing the heavier side of rock with a structurally complex bit of songwriting that appeals for its rising intensity, short, snappy verse lines, and one hell of a hook.
“Leather Glove” unexpectedly takes things in a distorted direction, with a funk-inspired edge and a hypnotizing vocal line. It rains down with a certain fullness and an inspiring central sentiment that again stands out as a definite highlight. This one works better at volume. “Brighton Beach” then lightens the musicality but leads with that free-flowing, creative guitar work once more. Something of a grower, the song progresses unpredictably but proves to be ultimately satisfying thanks to effective contrasting as it evolves. “Be Careful What You Wish For” takes the time to remind you of the thoughtful and self-aware nature of Jordan D’Arsie’s writing. A song that builds up around you, fusing melody and distortion to powerful, emotional and grunge-like levels.
“I Couldn’t Fool Them” is a memorable and energizing song with a beautiful set-up. The rhyme scheme is fantastic and the whole thing pours through so smoothly. “Quiet Nights” leads with a melancholy, sultry aura and a distant, affected vocal that suits the intoxicated nature of the lyrics. Things get quietly reflective and poetic for the warm and hypnotic for “Regular Day” simple yet beautiful in its portrayal of the concept. Again, the hook is unpredictable but seems to make perfect sense once it hits. The Womenof The Night become more engaging and interesting with each new song that appears.
Throughout “Used Car Salesman” we see a psychedelic vibe overwhelm in a powerful way. This one is a great track, easily likable and energetic enough to pick you up just when you need it. “Bad Tee Vee” follows on and more of those impossibly brilliant lyrics rain down around you. That riff lingers in your mind long after listening. The song also cleverly moves from melancholy to optimistic, bringing darkness and brightness together in an artistic manner. A definite grower and another highlight once you’ve really heard it. At the final hurdle, “Like People Whistling” drives to finish off an impressive EP and leave a lasting impression of the superb writing style and performance skills the band so naturally possess. A joy to listen to in full!
Check out “Pastel Colors” here and read more with The Women Of The Night below! -
Welcome to BuzzMusic! We’re loving your EP “Pastel Colors”! What was the main concept behind this project?
This P A S T E L C O L O R S ep is a collection of everyday stories, loosely based in a weeklong period in NY with different characters filtering through the songs. It wittingly adopts a strong cinematic Hitchcock 'Rear Window' quality to it. Camera slowly panning in and out of the everyday, playing with Consciousness / Unconsciousness and ultimately we wanted to achieve a voyeuristic quality.
What do you hope your fans take away from your music?
We want our music to create worlds / spaces for people to explore. We're really trying to express an energy, kind of like a state of mind. This is why we think of the band and our followers as a gang. We hope that our fans get a sense of this energy and the world we're trying to express and we hope it means something special to them in their own way.
Can you dive into details about the lyricism in “Moscow Mansions”?
It's probably the most positive or uplifting song on the album in some strange and depressing ways. There's a couple of different ways it is meant to be interpreted some involving relationships and others death. The more straight forward way of interpreting it is it's about a young woman dating an older more established woman whose career is taking off and as such she is being left her behind. She is walking through the changing seasons unsure what the future holds but on her way to see her one last time with a heavy heart. The 2nd verse she is now a little older and doing it tough on the streets. She is doing all the little things to keep herself alive and warm. She is becoming her own self and staying positive in the hopes of turning things around. The outro features a gorgeous synth solo by collaborator Nick Cuce and I feel like it really gives it this final sense of optimism and hope.
What’s your creative process like as a group?
Generally the songs are roughly written by me and then we kick them around as a group and add layers and arrangement and flesh them out from there. Currently we're working on a full length and this seems to be approach we're taking.
What are your thoughts on mainstream music today?
Honestly I feel like I'm a little removed from mainstream music these days. I don't seek it out but sometimes it finds me. I'm open to it but often it strikes me as very polished and lacking in personality / spontaneity. Every now and then there's something that will grab me but I feel it needs less smooth edges and more personality.
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