Night Moves, June 25

Thursday, June 25, 6 p.m.

Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA

Touring in support of their latest recording Double Life, which led Americana UK to rave that the "artful production and clever lyrics make the band's fourth album in six years a standout," the Minnesota-based indie rockers of Night Moves headline a June 25 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, When the Horn Blows adding that the new LP is "a candid and impressionistic personal record that comes to terms with the complexities of life."

With the group, as stated at AllMusic.com, "founded by three high school friends with a shared interest in melding '70s rock with Americana, Minnesota's Night Moves emerged in 2010 with a sound that paired hooky indie pop with Nashville twang. Guitarist/lead vocalist John Pelant, bassist Mickey Alfano, and multi-instrumentalist Mark Ritsema had all played in various Twin Cities bands like the Battle Royale and Mouthful of Bees before coming together to form Night Moves. Rather than build their chops through frequent live performances, the bandmembers opted instead to practice and write diligently in their beginning phases. They carried this practice over into the recording of their debut album, Colored Emotions, which the band spent months meticulously piecing together before issuing it for free online in the summer of 2011. Responses to the album were great and the band was quickly signed to Domino Records, which issued a remixed, slightly reworked version of the album in October of 2012. Joined by drummer Josh Evert and auxiliary player Jared Isabella, the band toured extensively in support of the album. In March 2016, Night Moves returned with their second album, Pennied Days, which revealed a greater pop feel than the group's debut. Produced by Spoon drummer Jim Eno, the like-minded, ear candy Can You Really Find Me followed in 2019."

Meanwhile, in a rave on the group's latest album, AllMusic said: "Night Moves dust a little disco sparkle into their rootsy twang for 2025's Double Life. It's an evocative sound and one which nicely fits into the group's conscious throwback '70s vibe. Co-produced with Jarvis Taveniere (Woods, Purple Mountains, and Waxahatchee), Double Life is the kind of album the Minneapolis band has been threatening to make for years. Certainly, both 2016's Pennied Days and 2019's Can You Really Find Me already found them jazzing up their earnest, denim-toned sound with keyboards and falsetto harmonies. Here, they take it one step further, slipping into a stylish pair of musical bootcut designer jeans and framing singer John Pelant's throaty coo with fluorescent dancefloor synths and boogie-ready grooves. It's a decade-mashing style and one that recalls the fedora-accented soft rock of classic artists like Robbie Dupree and Bobby Caldwell, as much as it does contemporary bands like Phoenix and Dawes.

"Essential to understanding the album's potent mix is 'Hold on to Tonight,' an insistent, capture-the-moment-style anthem that smartly blends the cool swagger of MGMT with the adult contemporary sophistication of '80s Fleetwood Mac. Pelant sings 'Don't let doubts pull you down/And don't let love fool you now.' There are also lowkey moments of grounded country-rock here, like 'White Liquor,' and even when they drape themselves in shimmering keyboards and drum machines, as in the wistful 'Daytona,' the result is pure 'Boys of Summer'-era Don Henley. Thankfully, Night Moves still know how to spark your emotions, and cuts like the opening 'Trying to Steal a Smile' and 'Almost Perfect,' as with all Double Life, have a bittersweet romanticism about them that pairs nicely with the band's clubby, strut-ready attitude."

Night Moves performs their headlining engagement in Davenport on June 25 with an additional set by Feems, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $19.84, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.