(April 10, 2018) With a thrusting brass section, buttery strings and a slice of Incognito soul, Austin-based band The Nightowls thrust forward with their latest single off their forthcoming LP. On “#selfiequeen,” things open with smartphone sound effects and Valley girl chatter about selfie compulsions akin to The Chainsmokers’ viral hit “Let Me Take a Selfie,” but quickly sway into a slick disco-lite groove. And in an era of instant Photoshop beauty through social apps like Instagram and Snapchat, the band’s frontman Ryan Harkrider reminds us that a quick fix is just a swipe away: “If you don’t like what you see/Put a filter on the screen.”
(April 10, 2018) With a thrusting brass section, buttery strings and a slice of Incognito soul, Austin-based band The Nightowls thrust forward with their latest single off their forthcoming LP. On “#selfiequeen,” things open with smartphone sound effects and Valley girl chatter about selfie compulsions akin to The Chainsmokers’ viral hit “Let Me Take a Selfie,” but quickly sway into a slick disco-lite groove. And in an era of instant Photoshop beauty through social apps like Instagram and Snapchat, the band’s frontman Ryan Harkrider reminds us that a quick fix is just a swipe away: “If you don’t like what you see/Put a filter on the screen.”
The band tells us, “We've been seeing more and more people at our shows that take out their phones to take a selfie during the concert. Seeing these scenes unfold, sometimes with a big group of people, is kind of a funny thing to watch from the stage. Initially, it looks like they're taking a photo of the band until you see the bent elbow holding the phone at that high, weird angle, and then the smiles on the other side of the camera and you realize it's a self-portrait. So, we decided that we should join in the fun and wrote a song where the lyrics literally call for the the audience to take a selfie. It's a great moment on the album and especially at our live shows seeing all these people dancing, laughing and taking selfies.”
In this SoulTracks exclusive, check out the WORLD PREMIERE of this groovy uptempo gem from the band’s anticipated third album, We Are the Nightowls, which drops on April 27.
By J. Matthew Cobb
World Premiere!
The Nightowls – “#selfiequeen”