I first heard Jeff Austin perform “What the Night Brings” at RCA Studios in Nashville, during the week of the 2014 Americana Music Festival. That performance, during which Austin played the song accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, gave the song a reflective, somewhat somber mood. The album version of the song, by contrast, hearkens back to the sounds of ’90s country radio.
Austin tells PopMatters more about the tune: “I wrote ‘What The Night Brings’ on my living room couch in about fifteen minutes. It was just one of those songs…once it started coming to the surface all I had to do was keep up with it. It was written at the end of three pretty rough days…late nights, early mornings…so, my headspace was pretty raw. I just wrote my exact emotions of that exact moment…it’s as honest as it gets.”
Stream “What the Night Brings” below:
“What the Night Brings” is the first track off of Austin’s forthcoming studio album, The Simple Truth. Check out the details below:
The Simple Truth
Yep Roc
Produced by Jeff Austin
Engineered by James Tuttle
Recorded at E Town Studios-Boulder, CO
Mixed by John Keane at Keane Recording Studios-Athens, GA
Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering-Boulder, CO
1. What The Night Brings (Austin) – Brendan Bayliss (vocals)
2. Simple Truth (Austin) – Jenn Hartswick (vocals), The Royal Horns (Marc Franklin-trumpet, Lannie McMillian-tenor, Jim Spake-baritone)
3. Scrapbook Pages (Austin/Galloway) – Sarah Siskind (vocals), Andy Hall (dobro)
4. Fiddling Around (Camp/Sherrill/Austin) – Jason Carter (fiddle)
5. 15 Steps (Austin) – Jenn Hartswick (vocals,trumpet)
6. Over and Over (Austin/Siskind) – Sarah Siskind (vocals), John Keane (pedal steel)
7. Gatling Gun (Austin/Snider)
8. Run Down (Austin/Johnston)
9. Shake Me Up (Austin) – Jenn Hartswick (vocals), The Royal Horns (Marc Franklin-trumpet, Lannie McMillian-tenor, Jim Spake-baritone)
10. Falling Stars (Siskind) – Sarah Siskind (vocals), John Keane (pedal steel)
Band:
Jeff Austin-vocals, mandolin, guitar
Danny Barnes-banjo, guitars, vocals
Ross Martin-guitars
Eric Thorin-basses, vocals
Cody Dickinson-drums, percussion, electric washboard
Additional performances recorded at:
Royal Studios-Memphis, TN
Big Room Studios-Chicago, IL
Battle Tapes-Nashville, TN
Wendell’s Bassment-Boulder, CO
Red Request Studios-Beech Grove, VA
Minner Bucket Studios-Irondale, WA