New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Burlington, VT-based trio Dwight +
Nicole is set to release its new EP, Further, on October 22, 2021. Five songs deep, the EP showcases the strengths inherent in the American roots/vintage R&B music made by band members Dwight Ritcher,
Nicole Nelson, and Ezra Oklan. Produced by multi-Grammy-nominated producer Joel Hamilton (Aaron Neville, The Meters, The
Black Keys) and recorded at Studio G in Brooklyn, NY in the fall of 2019, the new EP was set to be released in April of 2020, but the worldwide shutdown and cancelled tours hit pause on the release of the new music.
Says Ritcher of Further, "The EP came about with time off the road. Believe it or not, we don't listen to a lot of music when we're on tour, so we listened more and more at home. What changed over the next few months, and fueled the EP, was that we began to hear the threads that connected five of them. It was almost like they decided to share a sonic landscape apart from the other songs. It's important for us to tell a story whether we choose to release a full-length record, EP, or even a 78, and with Further, we felt a sense of relief because it was almost like the songs chose themselves."
While Covid shut everything down in 2020, the members of Dwight +
Nicole took the time off the road to become more active in their local community, hosting fundraisers, streaming concerts, and
Nelson began offering online sound healing sessions. Unable to wait any longer to share new music with their fans, they released the first single from the EP, "The Next Go-Round," in the summer of 2020 to set the table for the forthcoming release. The
Boston Herald called them "a retro soul band, contemporary blues act, roots rock duo and R&B dynamo all at once," and said that "The Next Go-Round" "resembles a gospel tune written a century ago and would also fit nicely on Brittany Howard's 2019 experimental pop album." A cinematic video for the track, directed and produced by Jim Dandee, will be released in late
September 2021, premiering at Americana Highways on
September 27th.
Says
Nelson of "The Next Go-Round," "When I wrote this song, I was suffering from a broken heart. I had to let go of a person whom I love deeply, but I don't think that real love actually ever dies. From that perspective, I found some solace. There is a feeling - or a knowing - that our connection is bigger than this lifetime. What if we can just try it all again in some other incarnation? Maybe we can, and maybe the next time we'll get it right."
As 2021 brought waves of the music industry re-opening, Dwight +
Nicole celebrated by releasing the second single from the EP, "Time," on June 18, 2021. A retro-soul, R&B banger for the new age, the song premiered at Glide Magazine, who praised the Ritcher-penned track, writing, "Beginning with the simple and soulful vocals of
Nicole Nelson, the song leans into a slinky groove that carries notes of R&B and hip-hop with a smoothness that feels like cruising through the city on a summer night. The band layers on funky elements on guitar and organ, culminating in a mix of vocal harmonies and rich instrumentals that leave you feeling enchanted." Says Ritcher of the song, "I started writing this song after a conversation
Nicole and I had about our perception of the passing of time. I wanted the listener to feel that sense of mystery and unlimited possibility. Time is measuring our echoes in the corners of the universe, and Nicole's voice on this track is one of those ethereal echoes." A third single from the EP, the title track, "Further," will be released on October 8, 2021.
As touring and live shows return, the stages have gotten bigger and the band has grown to feature horns, keys, and backing vocalists. Fans interested in seeing Dwight +
Nicole live should follow them on socials (@dwightandnicole) for tour dates. Relix Magazine has applauded their live show, writing, "Take R&B, soul, blues, mix in razor-sharp rock guitar... heat to boiling, and watch your face melt. That's Dwight + Nicole."
Dwight Ritcher and
Nicole Nelson met in Boston, MA when they were just out of school, cutting their teeth on the local club circuit. They each fronted popular bands in the area and discovered a shared obsession of soul and blues greats like the Staples Singers, Albert King, Lighting Hopkins, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roberta Flack, and Etta James. Both Ritcher and
Nelson possess strong natural voices that stop you dead in your tracks. Whether belting or whispering, their singing commands attention. They are both also captivating performers, multi-instrumentalists, and strong songwriters. Ritcher plays a Gibson Flying V guitar - picking up his first one as a teenager in Long Branch, NJ - he has never played anything else. Nelson, a gifted singer and classical violinist from New York City, has described the bass as her first real love.
They began singing together often and developed a close friendship that became romantic over time. Eventually, they formed Dwight + Nicole, which was, initially, a duo. They began touring regionally, gaining a loyal following while developing their sound. After a move to Burlington, VT, they met their powerhouse drummer, Ezra Oklan (Nicole Atkins, Elle King), and the group quickly became a trio. They've since traveled the US together opening for artists like Mavis Staples and Melissa Etheridge, while writing songs and gaining plenty of industry respect: they have been nominated for nine
Boston Music Awards, seven
Boston Phoenix Awards, eight Daysie Awards, and 10 New England
Music Awards.
Their 2018 EP, Electric Lights, was recorded live to analog tape and produced by Joel Hamilton (who also worked with them on the forthcoming EP), and he captured their sound and live energy, while also bringing out their experimental side. In advance of the EP, they released two singles - the shimmering soul-anthem "Wait" and the dusty rocker "Hi-Lo." Burlington, VT's weekly,
Seven Days, lauded the song "Wait," saying, "Give 'Wait' a spin and, for at least three minutes and fifty seconds, all will be right with the world." Electric
Lights introduced the band to a new wave of fans and opportunities, including their first major label distribution deal through Orchard/Sony Music. The year wrapped up with another Independent
Music Award nomination, and the Electric
Lights EP landed on several "Best of the Year" lists.
https://dwightandnicole.com/
