“Big City Lights,” a terrific track from Nitrate’s upcoming, highly anticipated album Renegade, is a superb single that attracts quick attention to the pace, intensity, and presence of Nitrate.
Nitrate returns with their third album, ‘Renegade,’ a follow-up to their critically acclaimed albums ‘Realworld’ in 2018 and ‘Openwide’ in 2019, both of which charted significantly. Nitrate is the creation of songwriter Nick Hogg (bass guitar) from Nottingham, England, who was inspired by the late 1980s rock scene with bands like Def Leppard, Europe, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi.
Nick has revamped the line-up this time, enlisting Alexander Strandell (Art Nation) to take over Lead Vocals and collaborating with Tom & James Martin (Vega) and Mikey Wilson (Kimber) to make an album; greatly influenced by Def Leppard’s “Hysteria.” The album has a more melodic/AOR vibe than ever before, with Tom Martin playing all of the rhythm guitars and James Martin taking over keyboards. Renegade features 11 hook-filled compositions with fantastic melodies, walls of synths, and Alessandro Del Vecchio’s backup vocals.
“Big City Lights” begins with the fullness of arena rock – several layers of guitar, bass, and drums providing warmth and energy that rapidly surrounds and embraces the listener – before weaving in a distinct vocal, a distinctive and dynamic melody, and a captivating plot.
Nitrate has created a timeless classic with this album, which is gritty by design but melodically addictive and perfectly accessible because of its instantly recognizable, authentic vocal lead.
The piece’s hook is both familiar and intriguing at the same time – there’s a sense of the shift in the conclusion and an underlying air of promise. “Big City Lights” bursts out and stays with you long after you’ve heard it.
Nitrate’s “Big City Lights,” bold at first but musically brilliant as it progresses, clearly pushes toward artistic freedom while including the clear building pieces of the 80s nostalgia landscape for that relevant audience reach.
