Harry the Nightgown - S/T
I became immediately interested in listening to Harry The Nightgown as soon as I read their short bio on Spotify. The duo of Spencer Hartling and Sami Perez describes their sound as sort of an all-encompassing experimental pop and cites XTC, my favorite band of all-time, as a key influence. During their most fruitful creative period, XTC exclusively operated as a studio band - a distinction that allowed them to further develop their already colorful sonic palette through various studio techniques. Just take a listen to the first few minutes of their magnum opus, Skylarking, and you can hear electronic chirps and densely modulated synths - a gorgeous result of this type of studio experimentation. Similarly, Hartling and Perez are both well-trained in the intricacies of analog gear, having both worked under the tutelage of John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco. The duo’s skillset shines on their self-titled debut album, which takes listeners on a trip through a maze of post-punk, no-wave, art-rock, and avant-garde pop.
Harry The Nightgown’s unique experimentation allows them to sample many different vibrant colors on the sonic spectrum over the course of the album’s thirteen songs. The record has some soft and dreamy tracks with well-panned, oscillating guitars and lots of vocal twists and turns like “Tough Love” and “Babbling.” But each of these fluffier songs is balanced by tracks that showcase their inclination for more angular sounding post-punk, like “Ping Pong” and “Pill Poppin Therapist.” Pinning each song down doesn’t do them justice, though, as each truly has flurries of percussion, quirky sounds, and idiosyncratic elements that give them their own unique charm. Take “Tree Fall,” which swirls with MIDI sounds and Perez’s celestial voice before simmering down with some light guitars, or “In My Head,” which explodes in blippy chaos around its midpoint, and then resets to allow space for a clean, hypnotic riff and some gorgeous closing harmonies. If you’re up for a musical adventure, then strap in and let this record flow through your headphones.
You can purchase the album on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp. A cassette edition is also available via Topshelf Records. Stream it on your platform of choice. To learn more about Harry the Nightgown, check out my in-depth interview with them for Episode 136 of Look At My Records! Keep up with the duo by following them on Instagram.
