Dwight + Nicole — “Next Go-Round”
Americana Highways brings you this video premiere of Dwight + Nicole’s song “Next Go-Round,” from their forthcoming EP Further, due to be released on October 22. Further was recorded, mixed, and produced by
Joel Hamilton at Studio G Brooklyn.
“Next Go-Round” is Nicole Nelson on vocals and keyboard bass; Dwight Ritcher on guitar; Ezra Oklan on drums; and Jon Solo on organ.
The video experience is courtesy of Jim DanDee and was produced by Oleg Bolotov. Cinematography is by Stefano Petrafesa with art direction by Ekaterina Moysova. Brianna Ingemi was the assistant director and associate producer. Others involved in the video project were Lora Galich, Cheyenne Capri, Natalie Thibodeau, John John Little, and Pete Moulthrop.
The cast for the video is Jim DanDee (The Loser); Oleg Bolotov (Returning Friend); Laura Raynor (Mother Figure); G.B. Reeves (Tom); Grace Wong (Jetsetter); and Parker Emery (Child).
Americana Highways: What is the story behind this song?
Nicole: The song started coming to me in bits and pieces over the course of a few weeks. It felt more like a process of remembering rather than my typical writing process.
AH: What prompted you to write it? Was it something specific that lit the spark?
Nicole: I was feeling heartbroken, really. I had just experienced a sort of breakup with someone in my life who is definitely a member of my soul family. The song represents me coming to terms with that loss — the realization that it is impossible for the two of us to be really close in this lifetime, soulmates or not. Our only hope is to try again in the next life or in another space and time. I think what lit the spark was a disagreement. A really BIG disagreement… the kind that can split people apart for a lifetime!
AH: This song has a real retro feel to it. How would you describe your music and sound overall?
Nicole: I would say that we are heavily steeped in classic American roots music, blues, and soul. I have heard someone describe us as emo-soul, and I liked that a lot.
Dwight: We really love pushing stylistic boundaries as we search for inspiration — for the song, for the phrase, for the energy.
AH: Let’s talk about the video. How did you come to work with the video creator, Jim DanDee?
Dwight: The original introduction to Jim came through our sound engineer Jeremy “Blood” Moisson.
Nicole: Jim loved the song and wanted to shoot the video for it. He called us to get acquainted, and to share the ideas he had for it. We loved his ideas, and we were slated to start filming in March 2020, but we all know what happened next. At first, we just kept pushing the start date back in the hopes that we’d resume later in the summer or even the fall, but as the months flew by and the shutdowns were still in full effect, we decided to just give Jim creative freedom to make something that was fully his own interpretation. We wouldn’t be able to be there, and we didn’t love the idea of trying to collaborate via video calls, so the concept became a look through someone else’s eyes.
AH: What is the story behind the video creation?
Nicole: Jim has a studio set up in NH. He built the entire set for the apartment from scratch with his crew of close friends who ended up serving as the cast as well.
AH: How did the clip come together?
Nicole: Jim and crew filmed it throughout the entirety of the lockdowns. He was able to take his time with it, and bring a very personal and very potent story through.
AH: What do you think of the finished clip?
Dwight: I think it’s powerful. Honest. Risky.
Nicole: I agree. We never really know how other people are going to receive our music, and what it’s going to mean to them. I feel like this video feels deeply personal — like a peek into a life through someone else’s eyes.
AH: How do you feel it matches with the song?
Nicole: I think it matches well. The song is about royally f**king up, and grasping at the glimmer of hope — that seems unlikely, but that is there — for redemption. I think if you asked a million different people what that means to them, you’d get a million different versions, but Jim’s perspective is so clear, and so relevant to what so many humans struggle with behind closed doors.
AH: What is your favorite part of the video?
Nicole: I am obsessed with the living photo in the opening scene, and the way he used lighting throughout. I also love that it ends with his close friend from the beginning coming back to check on him/save him.
AH: What is next for Dwight + Nicole?
Nicole: A lot of new music! Newness in general! This has been a wild time to be alive. Especially as an artist — such widespread destruction alongside such creative expansion. We have been creating A LOT and we have a new album coming!
Dwight: Our EP Further comes out on October 22nd, and we are extremely psyched to be getting back out on the road.
Sometimes everyone disappears and we have to find a way to be alone with ourselves. Dwight + Nicole present this truth in an excellent production that might well be a film short all on its own, with a song that confronts the darkest human truths. Watch and see.
Dwight + Nicole have music that can be found here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/dwightandnicole/further
❤️
Beautiful, powerful!