Harmon fuses a few different influences on this smooth and mellow new track. Night Drives begins with a laid-back, trip-hop style backdrop – ambient with a sleepy pace and a few dashes of delicate colour. The opening melody on top of this, the song’s hook, then injects something of an RnB vibe into the mix.
The leading voice initially feels like that of a rapper turning towards singing for the purpose of a chorus – the effects and the long-form style with a minimal amount of notes all reinforce this; as does the rap vocal that finally emerges for the verses. The benefit of this vocal sound though, is that it connects in an endearing and fairly vulnerable fashion, which, as you listen to the rest of the song, becomes a totally relevant observation.
As the rap verse hits, the real groove of the track kicks in – the vocal is quietly confident, chilled out yet seriously rooted in depth of thought and a conscious style of writing. You listen more intently now, there’s something satisfying and calming about the performance. The later return to the hook offers a similarly comforting resolve as you reflect on the ideas. Then during the latter half, the final minute or so, the quiet calm of the music is overwhelmed by a vocal intensity that sees the story-line reach a passionate peak. This progression is unexpected, but it helps cement the track as something artistic and meaningful – it helps it stand out, it gives it a strong sense of identity.
The second and indeed third times you hear the whole thing the words stand even taller – the ambiance is so gentle that there’s really only the performance to capture your attention now. The vibe is easy to relax within, so the words reach out and connect in an instant, and this grows more powerful as the track moves along. Night Drives is an impressive release and more than worth a listen at volume to catch the true essence of the concept and the mood.
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