Late Nights use heartfelt lyrics to create a personable sound
Chicago based band Late Nights has a decorated history of live sets, opening for bands like Sleep On It and Abandoned by Bears. Originally an acoustic side project, the band has since released an EP as well as their single “Oxygen.”
The bands original name was latenightsinmycar – and yes, it was a nod to pop punk icons Real Friends, according to vocalist and founding member Michaela Kramer.
“I quickly came to realize that I liked that project much more than the band I was in at the time,” explains Kramer. “So, I started to take it more seriously after I released ‘Pluto’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ as singles.”
After recording three more songs, Kramer had successfully recorded her first EP, Daydreams.
“All five songs on Daydreams are about the same person,” explains Kramer. “Straight up about a boy breaking my heart and stringing me along for eight – yes EIGHT years. It’s all personal to me.”
“Other than that it’s typically about how I’ve been betrayed by people in the past,” she says. “I just really pour all of my emotions into my songs. Typically, I hear a word or feel a feeling and I can write a whole song about it.”
“You are not alone. It’s crazy to think that I thought I was alone and that this was only happening to me,” she says. “So many people relate to my music because they go through what I did. I hate that they did but I’m glad they found that the things I’ve wrote made them feel not alone. Crazy how that happens.”
When it comes to sound, Kramer notes that she always played in standard tunings until the EP.
“I experimented with some open tunings and got ‘Not Scared’ and ‘I Love That You’re Gone’.” she says. “‘I Love That You’re Gone’ [was] my final goodbye to [the boy]. I allowed myself to finally move on because I needed to and writing that song was what I needed.”
Kramer released Daydreams with a sold out show at Subterranean.
“That show was the turning point for me and the show I asked Taylor to join me in the project,” Kramer says. “Later in 2018, the guys were added and we’ve been playing full band shows since!”
Since then, Kramer along with Taylor Merrick, Erik Burklund, Jesse Sneath and Austin Gannon have defined themselves as an acoustic sad-pop band.
The band lives in the suburbs of Chicago, and notes that commuting to and from the city can have its drawbacks. However, Kramer names the Bottom Lounge as one of her favorite venues to play.
Kramer and the band continue to write music, and are working towards an upcoming release.
Late Nights will be playing on November 30th at Sideouts in Island Lake.
Photo by Kaitlyn Johnson