Jonathan Plevyak grew closer to his own individually crafted sound and musical goals with his latest single, “Love After Midnight.”
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The Pop-rock/Americana artist had seen success with previous releases “Backburner,” and “Time,” but told American Songwriter this new track was an effort to showcase not only his musical influences and inspirations, but the exciting and engaging side of his artistry propelling him into the next phase of musical creation.
Immediately the opening riff of the song, written by Plevyak’s bandmate Garrett Mabe, transports listeners into a night time atmosphere of flickering street lights and open roads.
“As soon as I heard it, I knew that was something special,” Plevyak said. “It screamed ‘concert set opener/late summer night anthem.’ I texted my friend Seth Rentfrow to come over and help me write it. Seth is one of my favorite writers and has rock n’ roll in his DNA, so I knew we could come up with something special. It was a team effort, and arguably the most fun I’ve had writing a song.”
Plevyak said the writing process for the single was inspired by the classic music of the 80’s, marked by clear electric guitar and driving rhythms.
“Lyrically, the song is pretty straightforward. I wanted the music and lyrics to have a timeless, classic sort of feel,” Plevyak noted. “I grew up on so many 80s rock anthems…I wanted to have a song in that atmosphere that I could call my own.”
While surrounded by many other creators in similar fields, immersion in Nashville can sometimes prove a difficult environment to narrow down sonic definitions and goals as an artist. Plevyak explained that since moving to the area in 2018, he had still contemplated what his artistic niche was, and this latest release brought him one step closer to narrowing it down.
“Since I moved to Nashville, I had been trying to fully lock in on what I wanted my sound to be and this song is the perfect example of that,” Plevyak said. “80s pop/rock with modern singer-songwriter/Americana elements. The production process was super raw—all live instruments and the band playing together in a room. I had Kyle Dreaden, an amazing producer in Nashville, mix it. I wanted to keep the song raw and simple, but maintain a modern pop edge sonically.”
While pinning down instrumentation that pairs well with vision can be a daunting task, Plevyak noted the heart of this release was to spark freedom and joy within listeners.
“To me, this song is all about being young, having fun, and making memories with that special person,” Plevyak explained. “It’s been a wild and weird summer. My hope is that this song can add some fun to it and be a soundtrack to some memories made.”
