Live Review: LISTEN: School Of Night 'Lying'

School Of Night: The solo side project of Darby Cicci, aka, the multi-instrumentalist/genius for seminal act - The Antlers.

We love a good side project, don't you? And the one we've found today is a good un', we promise. It's actually the solo side project of Darby Cicci, aka, the multi-instrumentalist/genius for seminal act - The Antlers.

The project is named SCHOOL OF NIGHT and is the first official time we've heard the vocals of Cicci take the lead in a track. It's definitely not the first time we've heard the production or instrumentation though - as Cicci was the producer of The Antlers' last two albums as well as taking on the Keys, Organ, Bass, Synths, Trumpet and even Banjo when needed.

To coincide with this announcement, School Of Night has dropped his debut single, 'Lying'. It's the opener from his upcoming Self-Titled EP, which is due for release October 14 via Transgressive Records. The track demonstrates a slightly darker perspective towards content than we may be used to (in comparison to The Antlers' of course) - but nonetheless contains all the raw emotion that was common is Cicci's previous productions. With whirling deep synths, and brooding vocals (much like CANT) joining forces to create a truly haunting first listen.

Cicci himself has stated the following in regards to releasing under the guise of School Of Night:

“I would go to my studio, play synths in the dark, collect sounds that I love and try to build little worlds I could just dissolve into and explore. At first it was mostly playtime and I wasn’t planning on releasing it, but if I’ve learned anything from my experiences, it’s that the more you open up and share about yourself, the more you’ll learn.”

And considering this is only the first taste, we have a feeling there is going to be a hell of lot more for Cicci to share in the future. So get a load of the single now, and keep an eye out for the School Of Night EP come October.