Jason Longuski prefers to get personal with his songwriting.
The Night Sky Alumni frontman pulled from reflections, experiences, and relationships while penning tracks for the Metro Detroit band’s latest EP, Down the Rabbit Hole.
“It is a lot of personal experiences that led to those lyrics, the songs themselves, and the feeling behind them all,” said Longuski, Night Sky Alumni’s vocalist-guitarist. “There’s a story for every one of them and how they came to be.”
The EP’s six tracks serve as an introspective examination of gratitude, growth, and love for the indie-rock band. Longuski’s heartfelt lyrics document everything from valuable lessons to aspirational moments to newfound love.
“For a lot of my writing and lyrics, it could be something I flubbed on or a failure, or it could be something very happy that I started out with,” he said. “Even in the darkest of times or experiences, I’ve always had good people around me—my family, my friends, support groups—that have helped me get through some of the hardest moments of my life.”
On Down the Rabbit Hole, those moments not only soar lyrically but sonically as well. Night Sky Alumni bandmates Joe Daksiewicz (guitar, backing vocals), Steve Lupinski (bass), and Al Ledford (drums) bring fiery and upbeat instrumentation to their sophomore release.
“His lyrical content just complements the music I can write,” Daksiewicz said. “On ‘Let It Rip,’ there’s also an airplane noise, … and to me, it’s part of a story. I’m lucky these guys are willing to allow me to experiment. I feel like a mad scientist sometimes.”
To learn more, I spoke with Longuski and Daksiewicz about the band’s EP ahead of a June 20 release show at Parts and Labor Bar in Melvindale, Michigan.
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