Nashville-based alternative pop trio Nightly follow up a string of successful singles with Wear Your Heart Out, an album that maintains that single-motivated mentality. Each song contains infectious hooks and enormous production that could see any selection in its fourteen-track run plucked from the tracklist and placed on its own as a standout single. The band have perfected their formula, crafting a silky compilation of easily digestible and widely accessible pop tunes that hold the ear’s attention and remain caught in one’s head after a single listen, though it is highly unlikely that a listener will only visit this album a single time.

Exploding synth and horn lines on the title track, twinkling guitar tones present on songs “Like I Do” and “Naked”, and toying with acoustic guitars and stripped back vocals on cuts like “Radiohead”, Nightly cover a wide spectrum of sounds, crafting a fine-tuned pop record that ebbs and flows in an organic and dynamic manner. Taking clear and pointed influence from 1980’s film soundtracks but utilizing modern production trends and techniques, there is a polish and a charm to the music that simultaneously feels nostalgic and timeless. Drawing from the style of Prince and Michael Jackson, but with the emotion and sincerity of modern acts like MUNA and Paramore, the band strikes a perfect balance of genuine storytelling and accessible songwriting.

Lyrically, vocalist Jonathan Capeci paints pictures of romance, heartbreak, and all the feelings that those topics entail. Singing to a past flame on “The Feeling,” Capeci proclaims “When you get the feeling, baby, does it feel like me?” touching on a unique yet relatable sentiment in the aftermath of a relationship, wondering if one’s past love still lingers on the thought of the relationship now passed. Conversely, “Dry Eyes” addresses a lack of mourning within the end of a relationship and the confusion that comes along with that. Tackling topics that are commonly felt in these situations and relationships but not often expressed in song, Nightly carve a niche for themselves in a saturated land of songs about heartache.

Wear Your Heart Out is an impressive sophomore outing for Nightly that builds and expands upon their established sound without straying from their musical identity, but maintains a level of prowess that will surely evoke strong fan reactions and attract new listeners.

7.5/10