As Nightlands, Philadelphia multi-instrumentalist David Hartley makes what we would call ‘big music’, it is warm and thunderous, and very very good. Nightlands will be releasing its debut album Forget the Mantra on Secretly Canadian in early November.

Hartley has been a prolific sideman in many Philadelphia ensembles most notably, MM faves The War On Drugs. Here though, the music he creates in his bedroom is more delicate, with chiming strings and bubbling synths beneath a blanket of choral arrangements.

The album is one of psych-pop hymns, dealing with themes of anxiety, fear and limits of concentration, that add both an experimental element to the album as well an almost ghostly feel and a deeply personal resonance.

You can check out two tracks from the album below, 300 Clouds and Suzerain (A Letter to the Judge). Pretty sure to whet the appetite we think…

Visit their website here.

Download Nightlands – 300 Clouds mp3 (from Forget The Mantra)

Download Nightlands – Suzerain (A Letter To The Judge) mp3 (from Forget The Mantra)