• News

• All

Aug 08, 2025 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Kassy Balli

Next week, Austin-based indie singer/songwriter James Bookert is set to share his debut album under his solo moniker, San Gabriel, Nights and Weekends. Bookert first got his start with his punky bluegrass band, Whiskey Shivers, but after the band’s European tour was cancelled amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Bookert took a job at a local liquor store to make ends meet. It was there that Nights and Weekends began to take shape, with Bookert writing and recording during his downtime before, during, and after his shifts. The record’s sound similarly finds Bookert in transition, evoking newfound spacey shades of synth pop and new wave alongside searching —and occasionally melancholic—lyrical undercurrents.

This year, Bookert has shared a handful of new singles, including “Running Out of Time,” “Alone in My Room,” and “Play with Fire.” Today, he is back with a fourth single, “Close 2 U,” along with an accompanying live video, premiering with Under the Radar.

“Close 2 U” is a dreamy, nocturnal turn for Bookert, driven equally by a prominent bassline, chorus-soaked guitars, and glittering beds of ‘80s synths. Sparkling melodies and spacious rhythms layer over each other, swirling and colliding together in bursts of dazzling glamor, all as Bookert croons his vocals under a haze of bleary effects. The combination feels watery and even slightly reflective, like night driving through a bright and lonely cityscape, giving the hooks a moody, nostalgic bent. The lyrics hit on a similarly meditative note, with Bookert singing, “I heard you moved to a different apartment / I heard you moved to a different state / Now I’m alone, I’m the dearly departed / Did you forget? Forget about the plans we made? / I’d do anything… / Just to get close to you.”

Bookert says of the track, “‘Close 2 U’ is a song about the emotional aftermath of losing someone who once felt close. It’s about the quiet heartbreak that comes when a relationship slowly fades, and you’re left clinging to what used to be.

At its core, the song explores the tension between memory and reality. There’s a deep sense of longing, of wanting to turn back time or reconnect with a version of the past that felt safe and real.

As the song unfolds, it moves from raw devotion to a more reflective tone. The final refrain — ‘Time turns all things to memories’ — speaks to that universal truth: eventually, even the most vivid relationships settle into the past, becoming something we carry rather than something we live.

This track is about that space between holding on and letting go — something most people, in one form or another, can relate to.

It was written when I was still touring with my ex-band Whiskey Shivers. By this point in our band, our tours had devolved into over-the-top partying, and general shenanigans that I no longer wanted to be a part of. And while the shows were growing in size, it was no longer a safe or healthy environment.

To make ends meet, I took a job in an East Austin liquor store, where I was able to write and record music during my shift, as long as the shelves were stocked. My boss was really cool, and he’d let me come in on Sundays when the shop was closed and work on music, or record guitars or vocals.”

Check out the song and video below, and stream it here. Nights and Weekends is due out everywhere on August 15th. Pre-order the album here.