Bobcat Rob and the Nightly Howl are premiering their brand single via Glide today titled “Engineer,” from their yet unnamed record due for release in the fall of this year. The players on the single, a trio, led by Bobcat Rob Armenti, with Tyler Larson on bass and Joe Kaplow on drums, is centered around an old house in the Happy Valley area of Santa Cruz, California lovingly referred to as the “Ratz Carlton” for the occasional four-legged creatures it hosts. Here, musicians live and create, until recently launched tours, and now, live stream from their rooms and showcase this powerfully creative time through their new music. “Engineer” is an example of that. The new song strikes a different tone from the band’s 2018 LP release, A Different Horse. Where that one was a full tilt, Blues romp that demanded whiskey and a campfire to understand it, “Engineer” is a slowed down, more developed narrative that calls for a quiet room, a good couch and some time to listen.
The song is delivered through softer, reverbed guitar tones that give the sound an earlier 60’s pop-like feel and a bass line that pushes us through the narrative. But it is the phrasing of the lyrics that really make this song unique and provides its emotional punch. Where it is the story of a breakup, this is not an entirely acrimonious split. Instead, it is the story of two people parting in honor of a partnership that cannot be. Where there was some anger and argument, there was also powerful love and respect. This comes through in how the singer carefully defines and qualifies terms and thoughts to clarify their meaning so that their importance is properly conveyed. It is as though he is taking all the care he can to explain the depth of the partnership that was. The harmonies in the song are deep and intricate, faintly reminiscent of some dreamy old Beach Boys song like “In My Room” but just barely so. With “Engineer” Bobcat Rob and the Nightly Howl have presented us with a hint of what may be to come from them in the future. Perhaps songs more settled and thoughtful with a throwdown anthem stuck in here and there to keep us on our toes?