ABOUT VANISHING

Ever dream you’re floating in a spaceship on a never-ending journey to an unknowable destination? That’s how Nyles Lannon often thought of life in the early part of the pandemic, when time seemed to stand still, before the vaccines or even knowing when there might be any. But whether that spaceship is a desolate prison or a vessel for escaping to a better world depends on how you use it.

With literally nowhere to go during lockdown, the Film School guitarist and his then-12-year-old son Skye, on drums and modular synths, would jam most evenings in Nyles’s home studio, just to have something to focus their minds on and counter the tedium of “remote learning.” What started out as a way to keep his kid busy became a means to process the isolation and disorientation of that strange, scary stretch of time. The result is Vanishing, a ten-song album spanning moody melodies, new wave beats, droney rock, and even an electrogroove instrumental, by the father-son project called Nyte Skye.

The emotional toll of the pandemic, the collective grief from losing so many to the disease, and the literal darkness that engulfed the sky thanks to devastating wildfires brought on by the climate crisis are heavy subjects, but lyrically these songs also convey the ways we could keep each other sane, and inspired, through it all. Film School devotees will find plenty to love, but so will fans of the Police (Stewart Copeland being one of Skye’s major influences), the Cure, Spiritualized, and Elliott Smith. The album opens, fittingly, with “Dream State (I’m Vanishing),” a wistful indie pop gem about disappearing into an alternate universe where worries don’t exist. “Doing Time” is a huge-sounding, shoegazey meditation on holding onto a child’s sanguine outlook, with big washes of 12-string guitar and a sophisticated syncopated beat. If “Take Me Up Again” is the bounciest track, its counterpoint is “Faded,” whose soaring guitars and synth and gentle rhythm bely themes of physical and emotional frailty.

Ultimately, not only did working on Vanishing help the duo cope with a challenging situation, but just being stuck at home helped stoke their creativity. “Music was the only thing that I did during the pandemic (besides online school),” Skye says. “It gave us all this time we didn't have before to make the album.” For Nyles—knowing they might never have that kind of time again—to be able to put out a record with his son is, simply, “a dream come true.”

Vanishing was written, recorded, and produced by Nyles Lannon and Skye Lannon, with additional contributions from Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave), Nichole Kreglow (vocals), and lyricist Neil Rodenmeyer.

ABOUT NYTE SKYE

Composer for commercials by day, Nyles Lannon has released several solo works earning numerous accolades, including Best Album of the Year from the San Francisco Bay Guardian and Best Folktronica Artist from SF Weekly. The Bay Area native spent much of the 00’s playing in the band Film School, and after a ten-year hiatus, reunited with the band in 2016. Skye Lannon has been drumming since age 6, after learning a basic beat from his dad (who’s “kind of terrible at drums,” Skye reveals). Within a few days, he was hooked on playing drums and lost interest in all his other hobbies. He graduates from 8th grade in June.

Filling out the band is Nichole Kreglow (guitar, synths and vocals) and bassist David Gould. Nichole has played in Nyles’ solo band since 2017.