Late Nights - Long Drives

Late Nights

Long Drives
self-released; 2017

​3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Kai Kiernan (bass/vocals), Dan Spence (guitar), Gavin Bowman (guitar) and Ben Brown-McMillin (drums) are Late Nights. The band is a group of friends from high school that has been playing on and off for about five years. They decided to record an album entitled Long Drives.

They have a rough, rock sound that is not too far from a band like Cloud Nothings at times. They do not however have the Steve Albini type production. The vocals are often a little loud and the drums are too much in the background. 

Kiernan has gotten comparisons to Ian Curtis but I only really heard that when he was exaggerating his voice. He sings with different inflections throughout. They open with “Virginia” which is a pretty catchy song. The song is fairly simple revolving around major and minor chords. I thought the vocal harmonies towards the end of the song worked out nicely. 

The band has a little more success with “When the Sun Asks” which has a slightly different flavor. “Clinging” is where the band really changes their sound. They sound a bit like The Smiths on this song with more atmospheric elements. I was reminded of The Smiths again on“Beautiful Silence and “Everything Done.” They close with a notable effort entitled “Go On (Part 1).”

They band is solid but needs a little direction. As of right now the sound is a bit scattered. I’d also say the next step for them would be to work with a producer/engineer to get their sound to a professional level. 

​This is solid start for the band but I think their best work lies ahead.

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