By Charlie Sackett
Izzy Perri’s new song “Nightvision,” released on May 27th, 2021, is a slow-building guitar and percussion-heavy three minutes of sensual madness. A beginning few moments of crackling percussion sets the tempo and tune for an electric guitar solo and blipping plucks. Whispery vocals are introduced, replaced shortly by quick, staccato-like storytelling. Perri sings of longing to drive for “miles and miles” with an enchanting ‘angel’.
The real enchantment of the song, however, is the guitar and bass solos, echoing each other in a series of imitative rounds. We would be disappointed to have this parallel rhythm interrupted so quickly if it were not for the return of the crackling percussion and guitar from the advent of the song. This time, however, Perri lends his vocals to the crunch, singing six-syllables of muffled sultriness.
Photo Courtesy of Izzy Perri Instagram
The second verse recognizes the ‘Devil on the dash’ who Perri ‘thinks knows’ him but, yet again, Perri does not care where they are headed, singing ‘it doesn’t matter where we’re going.’ The transition to the chorus is accompanied by higher, falsetto-like guitar strumming, some breathy catches in Perri’s throat, and an additional guitar sequence. Some sophisticated rhythmic work with the electric guitar carries the next thirty seconds.
Perri’s last lyrics sustain the pursuit of something – ‘until the morning comes’ – until he ‘finds [his] way back home’ when the guitar suddenly disappears, and we are left to contemplate the percussing from the song’s introduction. The song’s conclusion comes with the double beat of a drum and a prolonged crackling as if it was being played on a record player. Overall, Perri’s ‘Nightvision’ is a successful follow-up to his 2019 single ‘Lucid’ in which Perri, again, covers some serious electric guitar solo ground.