Night Time, My Time
Sky Ferreira
2013
Simply put, where did a possible pop-rock, alternative Princess go, because after this stellar debut we truly miss her so…
Post-Grunge, Glam Metal, Synth-pop
BY HARPSICHORD
JANUARY 19, 2024
Sometimes it’s hard to listen back to an album and wonder what could have been if the momentum had been sustained. Sky Ferreira is an enigma of mystery. She pops up and then she disappears. Back in 2013, she seemed like a shoo-in to have the game on lock. But to quote the show ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’: “When the [rock] world needed her the most, she vanished!”
The term “nepo baby” is prominent in today’s dissection of celebrities and their origins. Sky Ferreira isn’t exactly that, although her blonde modelesque looks can give off those vibes. Her grandmother is noted for being Michael Jackson’s hair stylist, and he is in fact the one who encouraged her to pursue a music career. Although Ferreira wasn’t necessarily born into wealth, she at least had adjacent, two degree separation that inspired her.
The song that placed her on the map came out a year prior to the release of Night Time, My Time. “Everything Is Embarrassing” will always be heralded as one of the best pop songs released in the 2010’s. With its haunting mystique and dreary beach breeze, “maybe you should let me be your lover” trickles and drips thanks to the ‘80s styled percussion made signature by producer, Dev Hynes. Although it only appears on her Ghost EP, “Everything Is Embarrassing” would have fit perfectly on Night Time, My Time.
As a twelve track LP, the record brings the magical sentiments of the music that soundtracked the ‘80s coming of age films of the late director John Hughes. Over twinkling bells, Ferreira confesses “I wish these 24 hours would never end,” as an alarm clock ticks away. The chorus drags on with a sweetness that contrasts the monotone and heroine chic-laced “it’s slipping away, there is no tomorrow without you.”
Much of Night Time, My Time is juxtaposed with beaming pops of euphoria clashing against the angst of a woman who just turned 21. The elements of grunge are nixed by bright synth pop— not only displayed on “24 Hours,” but also on the opener “Boys.”
“Boys” starts with a radio tuning, before a satellite picks up. “I knew it was love,” Ferreira speaks into her echoing mic. Her voice pushes in a lower register as she starts singing about the woos of being unimpressed by “Boys,” but as the engine of the song revs up— in stop and go motion— the first verse hits its climax before the hook. “Then I knew it was you” emphasizes the revelation of the hook “you put my faith back in boys.” As the song concludes, her higher register repeats “back in boys,” while a Madonna-esque chant underscores it with “I knew it was you, I loved.”
While a clock and different elements of rock subgenres work as the functioning motifs that deliver on the album’s title, what drives the album to further artistic brilliance is the idea of a driving car. Driving cars and their motors are truly what powers cohesive albums— and on Night Time, My Time various instrumentation such as drum and guitar pedals add to that pacing. “Ain’t Your Right” best exemplifies that heartbeat as Ferreira can sometimes sound humdrum and down on her luck over the beat.
“Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Ok)” punctuates the glam rock that feminine acts like The Runaways excelled at the most. It’s vulnerable in how it drags Ferreira’s storytelling, while striking and jabbing with ferocious shouting during the hook. One can’t help but to feel the loneliness authentically conveyed by the middle of the album. If anything, this progressive twist on how a woman can be in control of her songs while also displaying disbelief at the lack of regard towards her emotional state can best be heard by Angel Olsen, who rose to fame in the same circuit, years after this album’s release.
It’s the self-awareness that really grounds Night Time, My Time. On one track she accesses the feelings of 80’s synth-pop by declaring “I Blame Myself.” That’s in the midst of a constant tug of war where Ferreira actually blames her partner, declaring and realizing “You’re Not The One” over the “city pop” genre vibes of Japanese rock. Fitting enough, there is the wonky, “Omanko,” which translates to “vagina” in Japanese. “Kristine” also plays on this soundscape, increasing in its intensity as an electric guitar backdrops a rise in speed.
Over the course of the album we go from an innocent woman who is decorating her vocals in Hughes’s ‘Pretty In Pink’ archetyping to Quentin Tarentino’s femme fatale combat allure. In fact, it’s truly a ping pong match between characters that would be displayed in both director’s films. “Heavy Metal Heart” sounds exactly like what it would imply (being more akin to Tarantino), while “Love In Stereo” is the bubblegum of the album that Hughes would be proud of.
The highlight of the album however is “I Will,” which delves into ska. It’s a balance between both those attitudes. There’s the semantics of the 80’s through punkified instrumentation; the femme-forward shouting of the grungey, power punk of the 90’s; and the progressive reveal of a foreshadowed fate coming from the singer herself (“try to teach me a lesson … I’ll keep you guessing”).
With her sporadic releases after ‘Night Time, My Time,’ the LP remains Sky Ferreira’s only studio release to date. There are rumors of an imminent comeback, but that’s just about it. Oddly enough, one of the album’s main producers, Dan Nigro, has replicated the millennial cult factor of ‘Night Time, My Time’ with the energy of Gen Z’s Olivia Rodrigo (on the No. 1 albums, ‘SOUR’ and ‘GUTS’). This album laid the groundwork: Possibly ahead of its time for being too on-the-nose for a pop sound that would eventually revive rock’s standing in the mainstream.
“Boys” for being a strong opener that recalls the glory days of 80s and 90s mall rock, but with an unconventional twist and convincing vocal performance. What mainly makes it unique is the muttering of “I knew it was love” throughout the track.
“24 Hours” for having an addictive refrain and chorus.
“Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)” for thrilling and intoxicating– driving home the grunge attitude of the album with a drunken delivery and hard hitting guitar work.
“Kristine” for its building itself with each note– from the instrumentation to the singing.
“I Will” for being the best song off the album and honing in on the strongest aspects of the album– from the lyrics to the instrumental breakdown to the enticing chorus.
Key Tracks
This LP is a game changer that revived pure feminism rock. At the time of its release, Sky Ferreira received critical acclaim, but critics also underestimated how she would set a precedent. Everything flows on this album: the lyrics– which showcased the ups and downs of emotions; the compelling hooks and refrains; the varying vocals and subgenres of rock. This is the bible of contemporary pop rock, whether people want to acknowledge it more than a decade later or not…