Nitewind – Nite Tapes Deluxe Writer: STROLIGY
As a long summer day simmers into a cool evening glow, Nitewind’s latest release Nite Tapes Deluxe (an expansion of Nitewind’s 2019 EP-version release of the same name) lovingly reminisces on the pleasures of life, willfully evoking the retro, the nostalgic, and the delightfully whimsical with each consecutive track. At first glance (or listen), Nite Tapes seems to follow the natural tendencies such a diverse genre generally displays: a shiny introductory presentation of swirling dreaminess, a dizzying flight into refined synth madness, and an anticipated (but poignant) finale. A remarkably appealing arrangement of sonic satisfaction, Nite Tapes Deluxe is instrumental retrowave in its prime. Opener “Skyline” leads a dreamy synth trail, followed with the rise and fall of airy synth arpeggios, all atop a wobbly bass bounce. The track fades to completion, soon to be met with “Nite Visions,” a dazzling ascent into a bright, retro-fied synthscape. Bouncy leads, glitzy arpeggios, and atmospheric risers abound–the stuff of warm summer days and aimless midnight drives. Wafts
of airy ambience and elegant arps grace “React,” an expectantly slower, smoother track following a heavier swell of synthesized romance. Bubbly “Waveform Select” relies on distinctively brassier synths and hazy overtones veiled in a cool, blue aura. In aptly-named “Ambient Occlusion,” droning synths obscure the track before melting away in near-psychedelic haziness. Groovy “1998,” with front-and-center percussion and brooding, hypnotic synthwork, makes room for an exceptionally ‘80s-inspired beat–a track best fit for that nightclub down the street. Glistening “Poly Transpose” bathes in reverb, lathers in fuzzy guitar plucks, and is dressed in the stars of a far-off galaxy under a moonlit sky. Listening to closer “Lonely Osc” feels as if one has fortuitously tuned into a synthesized back-and-forth, a conversation in Nitewind’s rich sonic palette. Nite Tapes Deluxe draws heavily from the familiar ‘80s aesthetic. In the music video for “Nite Visions,” for example, a faceless figure takes a seemingly eternal journey (a trip, if you will) into the retrosphere–or
Scenes from experimental film artist John Reinke’s music video for “Nite Visions”.
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