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Get to know Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats with these 5 tracks

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats’ music is too urgent for retro or revivalist tags. Their sound is both erudite and authentically theirs; drawing inspiration from times past, the band gives the sounds of the south their own modern touch.

Both attentive and idiosyncratic, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats deliver their music with fervour. Lucky for Australian fans, they’re bringing their steeze Down Under for this year’s instalment of Byron Bay Bluesfest, plus a string of sideshows scattered nationwide.

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats are bringing their authentic brand of southern soul to Australia in April, with live dates set for Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne plus a performance at Byron Bay Bluesfest.

If you’re yet to cross paths with Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, study this five-track introduction so you’re well-versed. Sit back and listen, we’ve done all the research for you.

S.O.B.

Originally written and recorded as a bit of a joke that the band played at the end of their sets, S.O.B. quickly gained traction as Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats’ most streamed track. The lyrics are cheeky (the title is an acronym for something that rhymes with ‘gun of a snitch’) and the song is much more upbeat than what they’re used to.

S.O.B. does the band justice; originally, the popularity of the song made the band uncomfortable because they believed people wouldn’t take them seriously, but now they recognise the importance of having fun with their crowds.

Hey Mama

Slightly more solemn and serious than S.O.B. is Hey Mama, a song taken from the band’s latest album Tearing At The Seams. In the track, Rateliff pays homage to his mother.

The clip is personal and intimate; footage is taken from home videos documenting both the frontman and his bassist Joseph Hope’s upbringings, interspersed with clips of their respective mothers completing tedious daily routines. The song is emotional, and details themes of gratitude, struggle and loss.

You Worry Me

You Worry Me sees Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats transcend into full rock mode. The track does not feature the band’s signature blues notes. Instead, Rateliff channels the sounds of southern roots, with heavy guitars and passionate husky vocals.

The accompanying clip takes the song to a new level.

A Little Honey

Taken from their latest album Tearing Up The Seams, A Little Honey is a song about love, passion and desire. The song is sweet and wholesome and sends the message that love and affection have no barriers.

The clip was filmed at Turf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, and shows older couples in the crowd embracing. It’s one of the band’s greatest feel-good hits.

Tearing At The Seams

Tearing Up The Seams shares the same name as the band’s most recent album. It’s slow burning, soulful and introspective. Closing the album, it’s the perfect song to wind down to. Its subtle organ sounds give the track a classic American feel.

The song contains echoes of the sounds of ’70s blues-rock, but in typical Night Sweats fashion, the song is built on its own foundations.

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats are playing a string of shows in Australia and New Zealand in the wake of their Bluesfest performance. Check out their tour dates below:

10 April 2019 – Powerstation, Auckland NZ
13 April 2019 – Metro Theatre, Sydney
15 April 2019 – The Gov, Adelaide
17 April 2019 – The Croxton, Melbourne
18 April 2019 – The Croxton, Melbourne
21 – 22 April 2019 – Bluesfest, Byron Bay

Grab more info and tickets here.