n1ghtmar3cat - Single Review: Lost And Found
Dave Johnston has become a musical jack-of-all-trades. Commonly known as the drummer for Aotearoa’s alt-rock champions Villainy and the creatively adventurous The Zoup, he is now putting his production and audio engineering skills to the test, creating electronic music as a new notch in his belt. Wait, he’s singer AND songwriter too? Couple more notches, please!
Alongside news of Villainy releasing new material, 2019 is shaping to be yet another eventful one for Dave. Or n1ghtmar3cat, I should say. Eager to show the world what’s poised to be the new-comer’s big single, Lost and Found was unveiled and set loose just before Christmas for all to enjoy over a barbecue in the sun.
The song is characterised with a gentle reggae rhythm dominating the verses but shifts to a low gear with a chorus built on a deep hip-hop rhythm, riddled with flurries of rapid fire hi-hats in the style of modern trap music. It’s still cool to have trap-clicks, right?
The tune bears dark tones and is on the down-tempo side, however, it is buoyed enough by dynamics and vocal grooves to dispel any preconceptions of this being a drab experience.
Whilst one may be tempted to class this as electronic pop, unlike typical run-of-the-mill EDM, the chorus doesn’t rely on repetitive, cheesy vocal hooks, but is amplified instead with layers of samples, plus densely-atmospheric and stadium-sized keyboard synths.
Featuring introspective lyrics matched with a pop melody that isn’t cringe-inducing – which, frankly, is rare for an EDM tune of the modern day. Modest in its delivery, the vocals avoid taking the forefront as some sort of guest appearance, but instead, as an added dimension to the music.
The song is smart, and the production is impressive. Personally, a very promising start for n1ghtmar3cat. If atmospheric electronic pop is your sort of flavour then go get your ears onto this one.
As a side note, any fans of Imogen Heap or the film Garden State should check out n1ghtmar3cat’s cover of Let Go. A faithful rendition delivered with heartfelt sincerity. You won’t be disappointed.
About n1ghtmar3cat
Following a self-titled debut album in 2019, sophomore record Rat Race dropped in August 2022, with singles including Rat Race; Don’t Lie; High Hopes; and Hurting Myself (and I Think I Like It). High Hopes grabbed the attention of the Spotify curators, bagging features on New Music Friday AU/NZ, Top Shelf Electronic and other coveted editorial playlists.
Written, recorded and produced by Johnston in isolation, the current wave of n1ghtmar3cat releases channel artists such as The Weeknd, Jon Hopkins, Banks and Flume, combining textural, atmospheric passages with moments of intense energy to draw the listener into the headspace that the emotive lyrics evoke.
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