How Absofacto Dove Deeper Into His NITESHIFT Universe With the Haunting Single, ‘Unquit You’
Absofacto is a Platinum-certified artist and producer who's seeking to create music that's more than just music with his audio-visual narrative NITESHIFT universe, and it just got a bit larger and more hauntingly beautiful with the release of his latest single, "Unquit You."
With its echoing piano strikes and delicate vocals, the song details the struggle of leaving someone in the past, and those times you desperately want them back in your life, despite knowing that they weren't good for you. The sound is fantastic—and made even better when paired with the striking, cinematic music video evoking iconic horror film imagery. It's just one more piece in the ever-evolving puzzle that is NITESHIFT, serving as an online community, enhanced with music and video, built around solving a big mystery and finding The Door at the end of it all. If that doesn't fully make sense yet, it's kind of the point, and we got the chance to chat with Absofacto all about the new music and how it fits into his story.
The Story Behind 'Unquit You'
Absofacto: "Unquit You" popped into my head fully formed, music and lyrics, when I was taking a shower. I had to jump out with conditioner still in my hair and sit in a towel with my acoustic guitar and just capture it as quickly as possible. The entire thing was written within about 45 minutes and the song never really changed after that. It's really about missing someone or something from your past, even though you 100% did the right thing moving on.
(Photo credit: Jacqueline Kulla)
What' 'Unquit You' Means
Absofacto: It's sort of beautiful to remember a time in your life that you can never return to, even if it hurts a little. I hope people hear it and realize how far they've come, and that they should fully experience and enjoy the present while they're here.
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Absofacto's Favorite Lyric
Absofacto: The second verse is almost always my favorite part of any song I write. It's easy to overlook this part, but a favorite is: "I got a good imagination. Been trying to summon you for three weeks running, still sleeping way off to the one side." That kind of lyric is very signature me.
On the Music Video
Absofacto: All of my new music is now part of my overarching creative universe called NITESHIFT. All the videos connect together and tell a huge story. My favorite thing about NITESHIFT is that I get to collaborate with people I'm a huge fan of. All the videos from my upcoming EP are directed by Jacqueline Kulla, my favorite director in the whole world. She's unbelievably talented and inventive. I gave her the song and just wanted her to express her truest vision within the NITESHIFT universe. She made this stunning, emotional ride using the visual language of classic '70s horror to tell a story of an obsessed female artist spiraling deeper and deeper into her work, while life kind of sneaks up on her when she's not paying attention. It hits such a beautiful emotional peak at the end! It's full of symbolism and striking visuals, and stars a wonderful actor Lucia Tarantino. The ants are just unforgettable. We'll be seeing a lot more of Jacqueline's directing work in the upcoming videos as well, and I can't wait to show you. She's truly brilliant.
I like psychological horror, and I love the aesthetics of arty horror movies, with all the shadow and mystery. I'm not a big slasher guy. I'd rather watch The Shining, Hereditary, The Witch, Get Out, Alien, It Follows, Suspiria, Pulse—stuff like that.
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On Bringing 'Unquit You' to Life
Absofacto: More than any other song I've made, this recording sounds exactly like it sounds in my head. I produced it with my best friend, Kosuke Kasza, and mixed and mastered it myself. If you want to hear what music sounds like inside my imagination, this is the one to listen to. The next one is coming out within a month or so, so now that I've hit this level I'm going to keep it going! I can't wait for everyone to explore deeper into the NITESHIFT world with me.
For more on our favorite new music, click HERE to read our interview with Felly on his new single, "Crying in Sunshine," featuring Arden Jones.