Features : Indie rock band The Reckless Nights delivers Melancholic Single ‘the City’

The latest release from Omar Rahim’s one-man indie rock band The Reckless Nights is a cinematic track called “the City.” The California-based artist began penning music under The Reckless Nights name in 2019.

He previously took part in several bands—including Lost in Translation—from 2017-2019.

Inspired by early 2000s bands including The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, and Vampire Weekend, the artist blends these interests with early rock staples from The Beatles to The Beach Boys.

“I got a lot of my inspirations and influences from my dad,” shares The Reckless Nights. “We listened to The Beatles and classic rock in the car. One day, I heard ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen. The beat was driving the song, and I was so moved. As a kid, I didn’t consider that songs can take you out of reality. I wanted to experience that all the time.”

Following this eye-opening moment, The Reckless Nights “started on a journey to find music that connected with me and gave an escape from reality.” The self-proclaimed shy artist relied on music as an escape during his reserved youth.

“At first, it was my own little world to explore and try different ways of expressing myself. Later, in high school, as I became more mature and my themes became more mature, I found music as a way of connecting back with my audience and connecting with peers. It’s become my main focal point, and I want to keep connecting with people.”

The Reckless Nights began playing the guitar at age 14 and continued throughout high school, meeting bandmates who would teach him their instruments as well.

“I learned the foundations of how to play music before playing demos. I observed what fellow bandmates did on bass, drums, and piano. A year later, I incorporated the sounds into my own playing when our band was disassembled.”

Now a band of one, The Reckless Nights took on the band identity to focus on his music, creating an element of mystery around the man behind the scenes.

“I was scared to put myself out there before, and now it’s easier to remember a band name. I don’t want to put everything on the table but rather slowly release tidbits of me.”

The Reckless Nights was also drawn by the concept of authors disguising their work behind a pen name to “say what they want without having that kind of weight put on them.”

A romantic single, “the City” features smooth vocals, thoughtful lyricism and ambient instrumentals. “The City” evolved from a love song to a commentary on the relationship between home and the search to find it.

“It’s a message to believe in yourself, regardless of how the world is influencing you,” shares the artist. “The city—or anywhere—is just a home you choose that makes you feel like you’re seen. There are also social anxieties and the troubles of navigating the world when you’re so young. Home is somewhere to belong with no secondhand stress—everything falls into place if you allow it to.”

For the artist, the song has a calming effect that he hopes to hand down to his audience. “It calms you down before the storm of the album,” he adds.

To create the song, The Reckless Nights began with a basic drum track. From there, he built up the instrumentals and followed with lyrics. When the artist first began creating music, he developed songs from melodies and guitar first. As his writing became more advanced, he started to explore bass and drums first, then let the song unfold.

Now, “lyrics always come last based on what the song evokes.” This transition is partly due to his work with hip-hop producers during his first studio album, who taught him production techniques that revolved around building songs from drums up.

“I approach music from a singer-songwriter technique but with a hip-hop producer element,” he adds. “Production first, then songwriting later.”

“The City” leads to an album release scheduled for the end of the year.

“This is the first song I recorded for the album,” shares The Reckless Nights. “It seems like an intro song. The beginning of the song has a driving beat that immerses into the world I’m trying to create. I’m taking different avenues with the album soundscape. The single is a great introduction before I get into the meat of the project.”

Through his music, The Reckless Nights hopes to inspire listeners to pursue their own dreams.

“I want my music to be heard and, through it, to connect with people,” shares the artist. “Whatever I do, I put my heart into it.”

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