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May 19, 2021 By Caleb Campbell

A lot has changed for LA-based dream pop band Nightjacket in the two short years since their 2019 debut, Beauty In The Dark. Most notably, the band now sports a new vocalist, Canadian-born musician Andrea Wasse. One thing that hasn’t changed though is the band’s penchant for hazy shoegaze-tinged dream pop, recalling genre touchstones like The Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star. The band’s upcoming EP, Following The Curves—their first with Wasse—is out this Friday May 21st but the band have returned with one final taste from the record with their new track “Lucky,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Lucky” departs somewhat from the band’s dream pop stylistic palette but to equally moving results, instead offering a subtly psychedelic take on breezy Americana. There’s hints of hazy dream pop stylings in the track’s foundation of syrupy effects, but the band largely relegates these to the background while they explore chiming acoustic instrumentation, bursting with welcoming color. Meanwhile, Wasse fits perfectly into the band’s approach, gently delivering warm vocal melodies and achingly romantic lyricism—”Yes it’s lucky/Feelin’ sweet, it’s kinda lovely/Oh the world was black and white/But you came in colors.”

Guitarist Jordan Wiggins says of the track, “Andrea came up with the initial demo idea for this song, and we just added and added to it over time. In fact, we had a version recorded, and then when we played a live session we realized that we preferred the faster tempo from the live performance, so we just utilized the drums from the live recording and re-recorded the song from there. Who would’ve thought we would utilize the rather hastily recorded drums from a live session, but it goes to show how important that live feel can be for a song.”

Wasse continues, saying, “‘Lucky’ is a song about unexpectedly falling in love again after swearing it off for good. It’s about someone showing up in your everyday black and white experience, and adding brilliance and colour where it was lacking.”

Check out the song below and watch for the Following The Curves EP, out May 21st on Lonely Archer.