Around this time last year, Dylan Balliett resurfaced his Spirit Night project with his first album of original material in nearly a decade with Bury the Dead arriving on the heels of the John Denver–inspired “Country Roads.” While the additional nods to Springsteen and Richman remain ever-present (not to mention his roots in emo), the first track to be released from his newly announced follow-up LP Time Won’t Tell takes more cues from the jangliest corners of Bury the Dead. “Darker Now” is a brighter take on the Dunedin sound (RIP Martin Phillipps) as it feels overly energized with the spirit of power-pop.
The track arrives with a visual component which further sets the single apart from “Country Roads”—where that song was set to scenic shots of Balliett’s home state of West Virginia, “Darker Now” soundtracks the VHS-quality imagery of beach babes and palm trees (remember chillwave?), positioning the song as more of an escape than a nostalgic trip home.
Check that out below, and expect Time Won’t Tell—which features longtime collaborator Jordan Hudkins of Rozwell Kid on drums and Miguel Gallego on fretless bass and various other instruments across the LP—out October 4. You can pre-order it here.
