Like so many of their songs, Project Blackbird’s new single, “Every House Gets Dark When the Sun Goes Down," is a study in contrasts. An outwardly bright melody and cheerful laid-back groove tell one story, while the lyrics tell quite another.
“It might be one of our poppiest songs on the new album,” vocalist/lyricist Ming Nagel relates, “but the lyrics are written from a fairly dark place of disconnection, and are set within the context of increasingly open conversations about men’s mental health - particularly with regard to self-esteem and expressing feelings. To me, the narrator is just a bit lost; this is both an internal monologue and external cry for support and connection, as if he's calling a helpline. It’s this turmoil of trying to grapple with and articulate a sense of emotional darkness but also being trapped in a kind of emotional adolescence and wanting to just shut down.”
With Nagel’s lyrics and heartfelt delivery juxtaposed against the song’s lilting beat, and horns that hint at a New Orleans style second-line bounce, “Every House Gets Dark When the Sun Goes Down,” is multi-dimensional on a myriad of levels. It successfully tells two seemingly different stories that combine to create a new kind of Chiaroscuro Rock. (Night Train PR)