From an early age, music was a huge part of Canadian-born twin brothers, Kyle and Myles Mendes’ lives and beginning at the age of fifteen, the two have been writing and releasing music together. Over the years, their sound has changed and evolved, but the core duo has remained the same. Originally named Nighttime Eyes and later shortened to NITE, the pair finally found the right groove in 80’s influenced dream pop and this summer, they celebrated the release of their second album, Reborn.
With a refined sound and a clear vision for NITE’s future, Kyle and Myles are ready to take the pop world by storm. Reborn finds the pair at the top of their game as songwriters and performers and they’re already looking toward the future. With some shows planned and another new album already in the works, this certainly won’t be the last time you hear their names.
Interview by Shannon Shumaker
Can you tell us a little bit about NITE for any readers who aren’t familiar?
We are twin brothers from Dallas, TX, who create synth, electronic, new wave dance-inspired music.
Ever since you first became interested in music, you two have been writing or playing together in some capacity. Have your musical tastes and writing styles always been similar or have you found yourselves butting heads on previous projects together?
Our influences and goals for writing music have always been the same. I personally feel that our writing styles have been pretty similar for Reborn and our first record. For the most part, we both knew exactly what we wanted to do while making our album Reborn. We’re currently working on our third record, and so far we have the same goals, but we’re just looking at life a bit differently.
How was it that NITE came to form following your other musical endeavors?
My brother and I have been making music almost our entire lives at this point. Once we finished playing around and writing standard tunes, we were ready to create something more defined.
You’ve been writing and performing as NITE for a few years now. How do you feel you’ve grown as musicians since starting this project?
We have grown a lot since we started NITE. Performing live is where Reborn‘s sound really formed. Before we left the studio while recording I Am Not Afraid, we quickly realized that not all of the songs on the record were great for a live atmosphere. We re-arranged and re-wrote particular songs to be performed live and that’s where we are today with our new album Reborn and how we are as performers and songwriters.
In July, you celebrated the release of your new album, Reborn. What on the album are you the most proud of?
I’m proud that we were finally able to release the record. We hit a few road blocks that hindered us from finishing the recording process. We had most of the songs written for almost 3 years before it was released. In the end, it was worth the wait since we ended up having the opportunity to release Reborn through Cleopatra Records.
Was there anything that you wanted to accomplish on Reborn that you didn’t get to do on I Am Not Afraid?
We wanted more of a polished sounding record with this one and I feel we achieved that. We wanted something more anthemic in our approach to writing, driving beats, pushing our vocals, while being smoothed by glossier synths. We almost sound like a different band, but one thing remains… and that is the concept, lyrically, that we kept throughout both albums.
With a couple of North American tours under your belts and the album out now, what do you have your sights set on next?
We are hoping to tour more and finish writing the next album. We have a few already-booked shows coming up and a good chunk of new songs we can’t wait to start performing.
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