JOE WONG released his widely-praised debut album Nite Creatures via Decca Records last month. The Los Angeles-based, Milwaukee-raised multi-instrumentalist, podcast host (The Trap Set) and composer (Russian Doll, Master of None, Ugly Delicious, The Midnight Gospel, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, etc.) shares the video for the album’s title track.

Joe first met Fred when Fred was the drummer for the band Trenchmouth in the 90s and Joe was a high school kid in a math rock band named after an obscure Dune reference. He reconnected with Fred in 2013, when he was playing drums for Marnie Stern. A few years later, Fred asked Joe to help produce his first comedy special, Standup For Drummers. “It was inspiring to witness how he’d evolved from the drummer I met over twenty years ago to the singular talent he is today,” notes Joe. “When I decided to make a video for “Nite Creatures”, I thought Fred would be the ideal person to direct. Because of his sense of narrative rhythm (we’re both drummers, after all), surrealist aesthetic, and ability to make creative decisions on the fly, he proved himself the perfect director, indeed.” 

“I love Joe’s album,” notes Armisen, “so when he asked me to work on the video, I was like, ‘YES!’ The song is so sonically rich, I think it makes dreamy videos in everyone’s mind. I just wanted to try to match that feeling.”

Nite Creatures is a collection of 10 baroque, ruminative, gently psychedelic songs that – in the cinematic detail of one of Wong’s film scores – explores the intersection of melancholy and joyful surrender. “Nite Creatures charts my journey through loss and redemption,” notes Joe. “Creating the album helped me emerge from a dark hole; I hope it brings people some modicum of joy during these difficult times.” 

The album was co-produced by Mary Timony (Ex Hex, Helium, Wild Flag) and recorded at the secluded Gatos Trail Recording Studio in Joshua Tree, CA, It features a core ensemble: Wong on vocals, drums, bass, guitar and keyboards; Timony on lead guitar and backing vocals; and harpist Mary Lattimore. The album was mixed by famed, depth-scouring Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann and features guests Jon Natchez (War on Drugs), Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think), Anna Waronker (that dog.), Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips) and more. In addition, Wong tracked a 16-member string section, featuring members of the LA Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, at Hollywood’s Jim Henson Studios, in the famed Studio A. Nite Creatures can be purchased via joewong.bigcartel.com and streamed HERE.