“Haunted folk with a stark, phantom-like feel, the group fuse skeletal arrangements with a powerfully literate lyrical sense” – Clash Music

Drawing influence from the surrealist atmospheres of Grouper, the stark and poignant balladry of Diane Cluck and the deft compositions of Colleen, The Nightjar use close-harmonies, tight-interlocking guitars, deep bass and an intense lead vocal to paint fragile, haunting landscapes for their dream-like, ethereal songs of hope, loss and disaster.

Originally conceived as a close-harmony vocal trio, The Nightjar are a musical ensemble based in Bristol, UK who describe their music as “lo-fi post-folk”. Inspired by Eastern philosophical notions of emptiness, the ephemeral nature of reality and the cultivation of love and empathy for the world, The Nightjar’s work holds a plaintive resonance of the philosophising of legendary French composer Olivier Messiaen, whose Catholic faith and explorations of the void of existence inspired him greatly, and this particular form of metaphysical musing comes to mind when The Nightjar refer to their album as “songs for the end of time”.

Objects came into being in the autumn of 2015, when the band relocated to a farmhouse in rural Portugal to begin recording what would become their first full-length offering. The limitations of their equipment and the remoteness of the setting proved to be fertile, creative conditions; leading not only to the raw honesty and directness of the songs, but also a body of artworks, including photography, film and animation.

The Nightjar are supported by The PRS Foundation.
Images by Paul Blakemore.