Night Moves

Minnesota's Night Moves came together in 2010 when three high school friends united around a mutual desire to fuse '70s rock with Americana, resulting in a style that blended hooky indie pop and Nashville twang. Guitarist and lead vocalist John Pelant, bassist Mickey Alfano, and multi-instrumentalist Mark Ritsema had previously performed in separate Twin Cities groups including Battle Royale and Mouthful of Bees prior to forming the band. Instead of sharpening their skills through frequent live shows, the members chose to focus on steady practice and songwriting during their early period. This approach carried directly into the creation of their debut album, Colored Emotions, which they assembled with painstaking care over several months before releasing it online at no cost during summer 2011. Strong reception followed, leading to a quick signing with Domino Records, which put out a remixed and modestly revised edition of the album in October 2012. With drummer Josh Evert and auxiliary player Jared Isabella now on board, the group toured extensively behind the release. Night Moves resurfaced in March 2016 with their second album, Pennied Days, which leaned further into pop than their first effort. Spoon drummer Jim Eno handled production, and the similarly inclined Can You Really Find Me arrived in 2019.