NIghtly’s “WEAR YOUR HEART OUT” Album Review

BY LIZZY BAUMMER (SHE/HER)

If you’re looking for the perfect soundtrack to a late night dance session in your apartment living room (we’ve all done it, don’t lie), look no farther than Nightly’s sophomore album wear your heart out that released earlier this year on August 25th, 2023. With 14 total tracks, this album has something for every alternative and pop fan. But don’t let the upbeat sound fool you, the songs on this album span a wide range of love, longing, and my personal favorite, a ode to good friends.

With its wide range of sounds and topic, the album has a number of standout tracks. My personal favorite is my boys which above all else is a beautiful ode to platonic love and friendship. Often in music, romantic relationships can be seen as the ultimate form of love and support a person can receive. While yes, romantic relationships can be an incredible source of love (even depicted on other songs on their album), Nightly writes in My Boys “Got a girl that treats me nice but no one’s ever gonna love me like my boys my boys”. This message that love from platonic partners is irreplaceable is such a beautiful outlook on the power of friendship and the bond and support that can be felt from friends. This was easily my favorite track on the album due to message alone, and I think we need more music that unabashedly expresses love for our friends.

Another standout was the song dry eyes. Dry eyes chronicles the feeling of moving on from a toxic relationship to a healthier one. Nightly addresses this song to the toxic ex singing about how their new girlfriend does not love them like her. Now often when we hear songs along the lines of ‘she doesn’t love me like you did’, the automatic assumption is that the new love is inferior and that the singer wants to go back their previous relationship. That could not be farther from the case here. Nightly details the previous love like “spending countless hours picking petals off of flowers/ Wonderin’ if she wants me or not ”. The song title references that Nightly is now waking up with dry eyes instead of crying themselves to sleep like in their previous relationship. They have now moved on to a relationship where they can sleep peacefully and not worry about whether their partner wants to be with them. The first thing this song made me think of was hope and the idea that there are better things out there for people who are unhappy in their relationships.

My third standout was it’s not your body. The song is upbeat with a beautiful instrumental intro and details the mentality of: if its not you then its no one. However, what really caused me to love this song was the double perspective in the song itself. The first verse details witnessing their girlfriend see another woman and that insecurity she feels in that moment. Nightly spends the chorus reassuring her that “If it’s not your body it’s nobody baby”. The best part of the song is that it shifts perspective right after the first chorus. The couple is out to eat and Nightly watches her receive a note with another guy’s phone number on it. Nightly states they’re not the jealous type but in that moment they could “knock all his teeth out” and then reemphasize that if its not her than its no one and they would be heartbroken if she left. I love that the song utilized the same meaning of “If it’s not your body it’s nobody baby” in two different scenarios: one of reassurance and one of jealousy/slight fear. This double usage ultimately makes this track one of the best written songs on the album.

The album as a whole is lyrically well written with an oftentimes deep meaning written behind catchy, danceable tunes. The album is fun to listen to alone, would be great for a long ride or party, and has the perfect tempo to be an absolute hit in concert. I can only image from my listen that the lyrics and melodies of these songs really come alive with the energy of a live performance and with the audience dancing and singing along. Overall, wear your heart out is an impressive sophomore album for Nightly and if it is any indication of what is to come, I can see them experiencing continued success and popularity in the future!