Album Notes

Living next to an emergency room comes easily to Night Rally. With all the ambulances tearing in and out, the Cambridge three-piece blend in perfectly; each song is an accident that’s already happened. Amidst blaring horns and howling sirens, flashing headlamps and spinning lights, Devin King clings to life with sharp cries and belted melodies, jagged chords and swirling, effect-laden guitar lines. Barking out the patient’s condition from the back of the bus, bassist Farhad Ebrahimi dopes I.V.s and dubs R&B 45s to 33 1/3, his left fingers on the pulse and his right hand on the defibrillator. As the metal wagon’s shuddering chassis charges through busy intersections, drummer Luke Kirkland gives a limb to the wheel and to the gearshift, to the clutch and to the gas, pushes each to their limits and sings softly along with the stereo for a semblance of calm. Night Rally’s energetic live shows play towards these comparisons as well—teetering on the verge of catastrophe, yet not quite harbored from injury—and charged by their free four-song demo, Boston has enthusiastically welcomed Night Rally into its company with critical and popular acclaim. In the end, their fans’ allegiance doesn’t need much explanation. For Night Rally, this isn’t just a band…
This is an emergency vehicle.