Night Traveler

One Liner: 80's rock redux
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but like a dream pop, dream indie, 80's sad boy rock
Home: Austin

Poster Position: Bottom Quarter - Line 19
Day: Friday at 2
Weekend One Only

BeatBox Stage

Thoughts:  I fully thought this was one that had been here before, but now I am realizing that was Night Drive.  Instead, this music very much makes me think of balladry from the 80's.  Multiple of these songs feel like they could have come from some 80's movie soundtrack where the characters are being pensive about their lost love or impending need to grow up or whatever the teenagers in 80's movies got bummed about.  I can't think of the voice I am reminded of - Glass Tiger?  Peter Cetera?  John Waite?  The Mister Mister guy?

Adam Fischer and Hunter Glaske are the two guys behind the band.  They are based here in Austin - that is sort of a funny thing, how the "live music capital of the world" has many bands that are based here, and yet I never hear a word about them.  Are Sun Radio and KUTX playing these guys?  Is The Chronicle writing them up?  Do we have a functioning news cycle for our local musicians, and I am just removed from it somehow?  Or do these bands just pop up and die out without anyone noticing?  One blurb I read said that they had music featured on Monday Night Football.  Really?  That seems really freaking weird for these emotive, synth-y tunes to be paired with the NFL.

The music is nice, I don't want to be misunderstood.  It is a good thing to fill in the gaps behind a morning of work at the desk, just shuffling between pretty grooves and falsetto harmonies.  Their very first single is still their most streamed tune, which seems like a bad sign.  "1984" has 4.7 million streams.

Richard Marx.  That is what I think I have been thinking of.  Doesn't that kind of sound like a lesser Richard Marx?  I'm not in love with that song, I wish it did more behind the vocals.  Also, they do a cover of "A Long December" that is pretty damn good.  Two albums - 2021's Dreams You Don't Forget and 2024's Hotspot - and the title track from that second disc is their current most popular tune on Spotify.  3 million streams.

They could afford a video this time!  Not a very exciting video, but still, they are on screen and moving around!  Energetic little ditty - I also like how he has his name labeled on his microphone.  Don't want to lose your mic!  The main body of the song has some Cure guitar vibes (appropriate as they cite the Cure in there), but then that guitar solo is pure 80's po-rock/War on Drugs-esque ripping.  I do like that song more - the energy in there is much more fun than some of the mopeyness of the other tunes in their top ten.

So long as they bring that energy to the set, this might be the right choice for the early band on Friday.