The Night Game is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 2016 by musician, songwriter, record producer (Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Daughtry, Christina Perri, Hot Chelle Rae) and frontman of the pop rock band Boys Like Girls, Martin Johnson.
The group released their debut single, The Outfield, on April 12, 2017. The song premiered on Billboard, and in an interview with the company, Johnson spoke about the single and the beginnings of the group. "This song felt like the best introduction to what I'm trying to do and a really good way to segue into the project, it felt anthemic, without being a throat jammer."
Australian music producer Francois Tetaz helped write, record, and produce The Outfield and introduced the band to Belgian-Australian recording artist Gotye, who provided backing vocals in the song.
It was only two weeks following their release of The Outfield that the single was recognized by Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter John Mayer via Spotify. Mayer took a liking to the song, exclaiming: "I heard this song. Then I listened to it again to make sure I heard what I thought I had. Then I asked them to open up for half the upcoming summer shows. This is that stuff we listen to new music for."
Johnson then collaborated with Norwegian DJ Kygo on the song Kids In Love, which released on October 20, 2017 on the album of the same name. An original band version of the track was released on February 2, 2018 as well.
After three more singles, The Night Game released their self-titled debut LP last September 7, on Interscope Records.
One of the most engaging album of the year, it's a feast expecially for new wave lovers: "I suppose it was the choice to make most of the album's sounds with analog synths and drum machines as opposed to simulations in the box with midi" said Martin, trying to explain the success of The Night Game music among retro-sound lovers.
So, if an album influenced by the likes of Simple Minds, New Order, Tears For Fears, The Outfield, Men At Work and so on could be your cup of tea, look no further than The Night Game.