PREMIERE: Nightjacket on the Drama of “Waking Up with You”

How an international love affair shaped the LA band’s debut album.
PREMIERE: Nightjacket on the Drama of “Waking Up with You”

How an international love affair shaped the LA band’s debut album.

Words: Scott T. Sterling

photo by Carolin Schild

March 29, 2019

Nightjacket knows drama.

It oozes from the grooves of “Waking Up with You,” the band’s latest song taken from their long-gestating full-length debut, Beauty in the Dark, set for release on May 31.

Shifting between precise, thunderous, and wide-open Americana-tinged verses, the track invokes a panorama of deep-rooted references ranging from early Breeders to classic Lone Justice. It’s singer Holland Belle’s soaring, classically trained vocals that give the song its wings.

“‘Waking Up with You’ touches on the moment in a relationship when you realize things are getting more serious, but you’re not sure you’re ready for it,” the band shared in a statement. “Maybe the other person has shown another side of themselves that you weren’t expecting, and you long for the earlier time in the relationship when things were free and easy and you didn’t have to worry so much about each other’s (or your own) feelings. There was beauty in the dark, but all of a sudden you’re waking up to a new side.”

The album itself was borne from dramatic circumstances, with Belle leaving the band’s native Los Angeles to follow love all the way to Berlin, Germany—just as they were set to record it. Nightjacket carried on, crafting the record across continents with the assistance of producer Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yo La Tengo).

Love’s a journey—and sometimes it doesn’t give you what you want,” Belle revealed of following her heart to Berlin. “ It was a whirlwind year, but I wouldn’t take back any of it. If there’s anything you should fight for, it’s love. And in the end, heartbreak made all of us stronger, and created some beautiful fucking music.”

Listen to “Waking Up with You” below.