Ronen Rubentstein, star of Fox’s 911: Lone Star, formed the band Nights in Stereo with his two friends Jonny Shoer and Rodrigo Rodarte to bring in the New Year. On January 28th, the band released their first single “Open Door”.
The first aspect of the song to discuss are the lyrics. There isn’t anything too memorable about them, but there isn’t anything negative either. They’re repetitive, but that’s also reminiscent of the pop rock style that’s being created. The song seems to be about two people who grew apart in a relationship and dealing with the acceptance of that realization. One of the strongest tricks used in the lyrics is the changing of a few words to shift the meaning or perspective of the song. For example, when Rubenstein sings, “I can show you how to grow/but you don’t love me anymore” in the chorus, and follows it with, “I can show you where to go/but I don’t love you anymore”. The slight change of words is a way to complicate the story and allow the audience to see both sides. The lyrics don’t change much throughout the song, but the vocal part is more about delivery than it is about the lyrics.
If Rubenstein is anything, it is an entertainer. The way he sings the song just makes it seem like he’s having a blast recording. Not only is it entertaining, but the vocal quality is good as well. The inflection he uses on his words are odd, but they add a quality to the song that makes it seem personal to him. He also uses the trick of falling off the end of a note, so it slides down. It doesn’t feel overwhelming the amount of times that he uses it, and it adds an interesting tonal quality in comparison to the more controlled vocals that surround it.
The most interesting part of the whole track by far is what the guitar is doing in the background. There are a few instrumental breaks, which are key to help section the song because of it’s repetitive nature, and in each break, the guitar is the star. There’s a riff that frames the song. It starts the song without any other instruments or singing. Having it played alone helps to make its importance clear later when it’s played underneath other tracks. The riff then returns both in the chorus and to finish the song out. Along with the riff, there are sections where the guitar gets to jam out. The chords come in for the bridge after the second chorus and the only thing accompanying it is Rubenstein vocalizing in the background.
The section that is the most impactful is after the bridge. All the instruments fall out and it’s only Rubenstein’s voice, light guitar picking, and the tap of the drumstick. They had one line of vocals and then used the drum to fill until all the other instruments came in for another instrumental break. This one line of an emptier sound carries the song to the end. It allows for tension to build , but it also doesn’t go on for so long that it feels anticlimactic.
Overall, for a first single, this is a strong song. It’s catchy, danceable, and strong musically. The band has more music coming this year, and if “Open Door” is any indicator, the band has a bright future.