Secret Night Gang Drop A Soul-Soaked And Experimental Single

A new single release from Secret Night Gang blends some of the best elements of funk, soul, jazz, and even pop elements into this one banger of a track that spans just over 6 minutes and gives some incredible changes that you don't really expect. It's been quite a while since I've heard of a track that keeps you on your toes the way this one does.

"Relax Your Mind" comes in right off the bat with some gorgeous instrumentation and vocals, delivering layers of harmonies and an almost gospel sense, laced with R&B and accompanied by pianos and wind instruments, and the whole purpose of this is to sort of draw you into the atmosphere that the song is about to deliver.

After this intro, the rhythm comes in, and you have some great guitar work that feels perfectly sort of twangy, colorful, and warm all the same time.

The vocals break off and start depicting a lot of great inner thoughts that come spilling out for all to soak in, giving the song loads of character and personality.

It feels like a song that really focuses on maybe getting a little bit overwhelmed with day-to-day life. The things that you have to do each day, the responsibilities that you have to yourself and others, and how all of those elements brought together can make you a little bit tense.

However, the song also boasts the fact that there is light at the end of the tunnel. You have to tell yourself it's all going to be okay and just go with the flow sometimes.

This, of course, is easier said than done, but the way the song lays it out lyrically is brilliant. It makes it completely relatable and paints a unique and personalized picture that humanizes us all.

These vocals are delivered in single form but also with all kinds of scattered harmonies coming in and out, giving a thick flow and layers of textures, so the song has this amazing depth at times.

One of the things that really blows me away about this track is that it feels almost like a live performance. There's a particular kind of energy that's captured here that puts you in the moment with the song, and the aesthetic is almost like being there and watching them perform it right in your face.

Perhaps they recorded it all live on the floor. I'm not sure, I wasn't there, but listening to the song makes you want to go see it performed in person.

From here, the song starts getting a bit harder hitting. The drums sort of open up a little bit and still sit amazingly in the pocket, delivering these deep grooves, but also give the song such a

A lot about this track feels like the band sort of pushes off those drums.

Horns come in and out, more layers of gorgeous male and female vocals flow throughout the ether of the song, and it really delivers this kind of sultry soul soundscape.

There's a lot of callback and bounce vocals. There are two sets of vocals that sort of call back to each other left and right, so there's basically no space during particular sections of the song.

There's an amazing change that happens midway through the song where the drumming breaks off into this amazing time signature and performance, loads of fills and excitable energy, while the pianos and vocals stay kind of mellow and smooth throughout it all.

Everything starts speeding up and getting more intense before breaking down a little bit more and digging deeper into that groove pocket, but in a different way.

It's at this point that a lot of that heavy-handed jazz influence really comes into play, still lush with instrumentation and vocals, but really flavorfully done.

As I mentioned earlier, some incredible changes happened throughout this track that just blew me away.

You can tell that there was a lot of thought and attention to detail when it comes to the arrangement and composition of this track, and that everyone involved was really on the same page. Everyone here understood the mission.

The intake of neo-soul, pop, funk, R&B, jazz, and more is all infused and peppered throughout the single and such unique manners that it all becomes incredibly satiating in the end.

This is a track you need to listen to with headphones on, in my opinion. Again, there are loads of layers to sort of soak in, and headphones are one of the best ways to do that.

All the vocal tracks themselves, alone, are so much to take in that listening with headphones will let you swim through everything that's happening, flow with these incredible changes, and really just get taken back by the level of technical ability and heart that the track gives off.

Not only that, but it has such a great message. Just telling yourself it's okay, giving yourself a little love.

With the release of such a well-woven single, I wanted to have a chat with some of the group's members to find out where this all comes from and what may be next for them.

So, while you listen to this track, I have a read through of the interview we had with the band below.

Remember where you heard it first.

Let's talk about "Relax Your Mind"! This track had some smooth funk, chill backbone, loads of soul and lush instrumentation! Where did this single come from?

Well this song came from Callum being in the studio. He had an idea that he was itching to lay down. At the time, I believe I was in Montreux and when I had returned, I was lyrically feeling quite creative and wanted to challenge myself to do something outside of my comfort zone. So when you put both of those components together, things aligned at the right time for this track. Bit by bit, each part to the instrumental would be added before laying down vocals. The track gave a sense of chaos and unpredictability and I wanted to add the opposite of this vocally. 

I'm hearing a few different approaches to this release! Who are some of your biggest musical influences? 

Artists such as Bilal, D'angelo, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin will always run rent free in our minds as major influences but, having said that, depending on what sort of song we intend to create, the influences of musicians that inspire our music is a never ending cycle. 

Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio? 

It's changed over time where there would be times when we would record at home or we'd be at studios such as Blueprint studios or SSR studios in Manchester. Currently, we're recording at a place called pollard yard in Ancoats. 

Do you guys write songs together, or are there a few main songwriters that bring ideas back to the rest? 

Callum and I write and we'll either send it to our band member to lay their interpretation of the concept of the track or we'd be in the studio whilst recording. 

How did this all start for you as a band? Were you all actually childhood friends? 

Myself and Callum have known each other from a really young age. We met playing football back in the day. We would evolve the friendship by moving from playing football to creating music in our later years, teens to be precise. Through jamming on both the Manchester and London scene, we would find the musicians we envisioned for our project and it's been an absolute blast so far. 

Are you performing live right now?

We were but right now we are enjoying the festive holidays. 

Now that this is out, what's next for you as a band? 

Well over the past couple of months we've gigging since the release and going into the new year, we intend to do more and maybe some new releases of music 

Who's in all your headphones right now? 

An array of artist are in our headphones such Moonchild, Terrace Martin, Jill Scott, Joe, Robert Glasper and some much more. Over time I find that influences change and I think it's important to that as it provides variety to your own music. 

What would you tell people they can expect on this release? 

Expect a bit difference in our sound musically but the same sound of positivity, encouragement, rawness and warmth in our music. Expect twists and turns as this track screams unpredictability. 

Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music ?

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has streamed our music and supported us so far on this musical journey of ours. It's truly humbling to us that you've listened to us all over the years. Please continue to spread our musical message to friends, family or any music lovers as we've got a lot of exciting things in store for 2026. Keep your eyes peeled.

BANDCAMP

INSTAGRAM

WEBSITE