“Fright Night” by Brunette begins with the eerie sound of wind blowing. Kind of like what it sounds like outside a haunted house, all day long. This is before the music even starts. It is titled “Fright Night,” though, after all. One also hears what sounds like ominous footsteps, so you get the impression Brunette has likely seen its share of scary movies. But no, Vincent Price doesn’t make a guest appearance the way he famously did on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Listen to Fight Night:
When the music comes in, it’s with a twangy, sort of surf-y electric guitar part, placed over minimal drumming. The song’s groove is slightly slow and languid. It’s taken at an easy pace. Unrushed. It’s not, however, spooky. In other words, it doesn’t sound the way music in horror movies sounds, right when someone is about to be murdered or some ghost or monster appears.
As the vocal starts, the guitar part switches from beachy sounds, to lightly rocking electric guitar chords. The song’s vocal is sung at a quiet, but clipped pace. It’s sung by a male in a kind of conversational style. Along the way, this same vocalist sings a counterpoint vocal part, almost as though he’s doing a call-and-response with himself.
It’s a little tough to figure out what the words to this song mean. However, the lyric compares and contrasts a male and female participant. Perhaps, to point out differing perspectives on a situation. At one point, the singer sings: “Thing slow down/Enough to decompress.” These lines suggest there may have been a confrontation. Perhaps, an argument. It’s a hopeful sign that belies a belief that, after all the hubbub, there can and will be a resolution.
There’s some really nice electric guitar interplay towards the track’s end. The chords chug along underneath, while the leads tinkle and twang above that. Fans of shoegaze rock will likely warm up to Brunette’s “Fright Night.” It’s not a particularly dense arrangement, but it does use electric guitar sounds creatively, giving the song a sort of late night, relaxing mood.
The track’s overall effect is that of being hypnotic. It just gets under your skin and into your head, like a woozy earworm that won’t let go. The listener comes willingly under its spell. If this were a surf rock song, it’d be one played after a long day of riding the waves. You can just picture the sun going down, and the BBQ pit fire flaming up. Nothing but rolling waves, cool sand and friends circled about.
In the end, there really isn’t anything particularly frightening about “Fright Night.” Except for the creepy wind sounds that bookend the musical portion, there isn’t anything that suggests horror movie soundtrack. Perhaps, instead the ‘fright’ in “Fright Night” is mainly of the psychological variety. Arguments between couples can be frightening, after all. The thought that a relationship is fragile and might fall apart can put the fear of God into any partner. The song seems to suggest ‘Don’t stress. Decompress.’ And like the ocean waves, which never stop rolling, this coupling will shaken and stirred, but still endure.
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-Dan MacIntosh