Today, Yacht Rock Revue, dubbed the “world’s premier soft-rock party band” by Rolling Stone, delivers “San Junipero (Every Night Like Tonight).” The groovy new single offers a first glimpse into Disc 2 of their ambitious 21-track concept album Escape Artist, set to drop on Friday, November 29.
“‘San Junipero (Every Night Like Tonight)’ is the party track on Escape Artist,” shares Yacht Rock Revue’s lead vocalist Nicholas Niespodziani. “The ‘San Junipero’ episode from Black Mirror, Season 4 is my favorite TV episode ever and (spoiler alert) it’s about people transferring their consciousness into a virtual world for eternity after they die. They live the same night over and over, but it’s a perfectly awesome night in 1980s California. It made me cry… so melancholy yet life affirming, raising questions without providing all the answers. It did all the things I wanted to do in my art.”
“I wanted to paint a picture of that virtual world in this song, and the ‘80s vibe of our music hits it,” continues Nick. “The song’s 3 distinct musical sections were written by three different writers in the band — Monkeyboy, Nackers and me. When I put them together, I found the central phrase ‘Every Night Like Tonight’ and I knew what the song was about.”
“It took several days to perfect the pulsing synth vibe on ‘San Junipero,’” concludes Nick. “That’s not software, it’s old-school MIDI programming through the Chroma Polaris synth. Once I finally got it working, I was able to mess with the filters as the MIDI played through the synth to create the constantly modulating vibe on the final track.”
On Friday, September 6, the band unveiled the first half of Escape Artist, now streaming on all major platforms. Disc 1 brings smooth grooves and laid-back vibes, the perfect soundtrack to wrap up the summer. As the season winds down, Yacht Rock Revue is gearing up for a handful of headlining shows after recently wrapping up the 45-city tour with Train and REO Speedwagon.
STREAM DISC 1 OF ESCAPE ARTIST HERE.
The band has spent their summer redefining the limits of what a cover band can achieve on the tour with Train and REO Speedwagon as direct support. In an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Yacht Rock Revue’s Nicholas Niespodziani and REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin shared their enthusiasm for the tour. Additionally, Yacht Rock Revue offered an exclusive peek into life on the road with a candid tour diary for V13, while Music Connection featured the band with tips on “How to Be Original in a Cover Band.”
Sarah Bahr of The New York Times reported her first-hand experience of Yacht Rock Revue’s liberating on-stage energy, observing fans who “danced for two hours to tunes from the 1970s and ’80s,” while Entertainment Weekly noted that “the shows tend to be unabashedly joyous affairs.”
The entire 21-song concept album (Disc 1 and Disc 2) — spanning four sides of vinyl — showcases Yacht Rock Revue’s evolution beyond a mere tribute act. This ambitious collection blends the band’s distinct style with the classic yacht rock vibe, capturing waves of emotion and paying homage to the vinyl era. It’s a sun-soaked journey back to the anthems of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Escape Artist captures the desire to escape modern society, using music as a primary tool to break away from the worries of daily life. “Look out in the crowd and imagine what each person is escaping from. They’re escaping the modern condition to the idea of a less complicated time,” Nick explains. “We see it every night on the road — an audience transported somewhere else. We are Escape Artists. That’s our magic trick.”
“Of course, there’s the literal layer — I want to escape the confines of what our band is supposed to be,” Nick continues. “Are we allowed to be artists, or are we trapped by a genre? We’ve always been pushing the envelope, going where no band like ours has gone before. I want it to be OK for us to express optimism and sadness and fear and vulnerability. I want to escape the caricature that defines us. The ‘Escape Artist’ song lyrics tell that story.”
The new project from Yacht Rock Revue features a rich collection of singles showcasing their signature yacht rock sound. The August 9 release included the double single featuring “Waves” and “Sail On.” “Waves,” with its gentle synthesizers and steady bassline, features ethereal vocals from Kourtney Jackson that navigate lyrics about life’s ebbs and flows. Meanwhile, “Sail On” offers a Caribbean-inspired melody and island ambiance, with Peter Olson delivering reflective lyrics about simple life lessons.
Prior to this, the band released “Lost In The Meantime” and “Steal Away” on July 12. Nick describes “Lost In The Meantime” as a tribute to the understated yet profound moments in relationships, while “Steal Away,” a cover of Robbie Dupree’s 1980 hit, has been praised by Dupree himself for its fresh and delightful take. The album also features lead singles, “Tropical Illusion” and “Passengers,” which debuted on May 24. “Tropical Illusion,” co-written by Elliot Lurie of Looking Glass and Nicholas Niespodziani, pays homage to Looking Glass’s classic “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).”
Elliot Lurie, reflecting on his collaboration with Yacht Rock Revue, recalls his first experience with the band and their growing national presence. “I played my first gig with Yacht Rock Revue about 12 years ago,” he says. “Seeing them perform to a massive crowd was unforgettable. Co-writing ‘Tropical Illusion’ with Nick for their new album is a full-circle moment and a testament to their enduring appeal.”
ESCAPE ARTIST TRACK LISTING:
DISC 1:
Escape Artist
Make You Miss Me
Separate Grooves
Waves
Reverse Sunset
Lost In The Meantime
Sail On
Steal Away (Robbie Dupree Cover)
Tropical Illusion (feat. Elliot Lurie)
Passengers
DISC 2:
Triangle of Combustion
Lonely For You
Inverse Sunrise
San Junipero (Every Night Like Tonight)
Things Look Different
Monkeys Always Swinging
Bad Decisions
Worse Decisions
Here For the Feeling
Four in the Morning
What A Year
