Detroit’s They Travel at Night Prep Debut EP , ‘Entropy’

Comprising Lou Scanlon and Chuck Howard, They Travel at Night is a band from Detroit, whose wide ranging tastes aren’t limited by genre, but rather, they pick and choose whatever they are most inspired by at the time. The title of their debut EP, ‘Entropy’, released on February 2, reflects this, but even so it takes their varying influences and somehow, despite their different sounds, makes a cohesive whole.

Five songs long, ‘Entropy’ is a quick listen, meaning that it’s super fast to play over again. And again. And again. Each listen reveals a new aspect to pay attention to: listen to the steady guitar rhythms the first time; the record scratching the second time; the ethereal vocals the third. A fourth listen might have you more deeply embracing the lyrics, and the multi-layered synths and found sounds.

There’s plenty of bands you’ll be reminded of when listening to ‘Entropy’ – besides the obvious, such as The White Stripes, and perhaps even psychedelic era Beatles, there’s hints of LCD Soundsystem, and maybe Bowie (isn’t everyone inspired by him?). But it’s still clearly Scanlon and Howard’s own work, and the familiarity you feel when listening to ‘Entropy’ is warmly welcoming.

Lou Scanlon and Chuck Howard hadn’t done a musical collaboration together since their college days, but their musical careers have seen them be a part of a range of bands and projects in the Detroit area since the early 2000s, and this collective knowledge serves them well for ‘Entropy’, and hopefully beyond.

Self-released on February 2, ‘Entropy’ can be streamed and downloaded on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. Find out more about They Travel at Night and their music online on their official website, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com