Night Hymns’ New Single Takes Us to “Blue Bottle”
By Zoe Elerby
Coming all the way from Vancouver, Night Hymns releases a tasty track with all the beloved elements of Rock n’ Roll titled “Blue Bottle”. The single was released on April 3rd and already has a music video to go along with it. Night Hymns is an independent artist who states in their Spotify bio: “I’m just writing to reach people who are into this kind of music. Don’t know where they are but they got to be somewhere.” Every element of their music is created by them, from the vocals to the instrumentals to the production itself. The artist is completely self-taught and states that “I picked up the guitar only to play rock and roll.”
Despite having less than 100 followers on social media, including Spotify listeners, Night Hymns definitely has an impact on corners of the music community. The newest release, “Blue Bottle” has just under 1,000 listens in four days (since this review has been written). But their most popular music has listens reaching well over 10,000. There is no doubt that “Blue Bottle” will receive the same attention.
Night Hymns states that they take inspiration from artists such as Arctic Monkeys and The Beatles but these artists aren’t the only source of inspiration. Night Hymns states that they are often inspired by the things surrounding them. “Blue Bottle” was inspired by a cafe in San Francisco of the same name, to which Night Hymns is imagining themselves as a fly on the wall. In the video’s description, Night Hymns simply says “Me singing about being a happy fly.” Which is very cute in its own right, considering most people don’t think that flies are the happiest of creatures.
“Blue Bottle” begins with an undeniable rock n’ roll beat and guitar, one that is reminiscent of the peak years of the genre. That hoppy beat with a swagger on the guitar strings, Night Hymns does a brilliant job of capturing the familiarity of rock n’ roll. However, the fun part about this song is the lyrics and Night Hymns’ own voice. I was personally captured by their voice, I didn’t pause the song the first several times listening through. Night Hymns’ voice is in the best way, clear and concise.
They have a British Columbian accent that comes out in some of the lyrics, which makes it more endearing, especially in the music video. “Blue Bottle”’s music video is Night Hymns standing independently, playing the guitar, and singing into the microphone. It’s very clear that they’re enjoying what they’ve created, there is an energy beyond the screen. There is something about small artists creating with their whole heart that makes the music even more valuable.
The lyrics are about yearning, and the vocalist singing about wanting to love someone but they feel a lot of fear when they try to interact. But they spend time with one another, the vocalist admiring the other.
“You can send the roof right up into the sky when you dance me to the swinging of a butterfly, when you rock me to the rhythm of your lullaby.”
“Buy me a bottle, I’m feeling blue.”
“Give me the bottle, better give me two.”
The lyrics have a bounce to them when Night Hymns sings which is familiar to the earlier days of rock n’ roll. There is melancholy in rock n’ roll, there always has been but the way that it is sung and who it applies to always changes. Night Hymns is another 21st-century example of how classic sounds can still be utilized to tell stories in playful ways, they have all the swagger and sound the rock n’ roll community thrives on.
Night Hymns is an incredible artist. Being self-taught and having the drive to spread their music and their name is extremely refreshing to see and listen to. If you love rock n’ roll, from The Beatles to Arctic Monkeys, give “Blue Bottle” and Night Hymns’ a good listen. You can find “Blue Bottle” on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms. You can also find the music video on their Youtube channel titled “Night Hymns”.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7oElAGrbWF2Dp4WshyBsu9?si=fSfppyrtQ1mX0tKtd2v6lw