The Nulls Rays Sleep with their "Eyes Wide Open"

Out of Providence, Rhode Island, are the Null Rays. This band formed back in the '90s, calling themselves 'Nocturnal Sun' and playing post-punk and hard rock. Their influences, like Soundgarden, Dead Kennedys, Alice in Chains, and Guns N' Roses, are reflected in their current rock/metal sound. Since reforming, together the Null Rays have released two full-length albums since 2020. They're back with a newly released album titled, Midnight at High Noon. Let's dig into one of the tracks off the record, "Eyes Wide Open."

"Eyes Wide Open"

Songwriting: Carpentier, D. Blake, T. Bianchino

Lead Vocals: Jason Carpentier

Bongos, Backing Vocals: Scott SanGiacomo

Backing Vocals: Kate Kenney Nutting, J. Michael Graham

Vocals: Sarah Kenyon

Conga: Scott Kenyon

Drums: Dana Blake

Bass: Ron Dumont

Guitars, Keyboard: Todd Bianchino

Recorded: Newcastle Sound, Bristol RI

Engineer, mix, master: Randy Hunicke

In the words of Null Rays: "The song took shape in November 2022 during a jam with Todd Bianchino (of "This Modern Bridge" and "The StereoTypes.") Todd jammed some songs, and we just jammed off of that, with Dana turning the song's drums into a tribal beat. The vocal melody came almost immediately, set to the vibe of the fictional character "StormFront," played by actress Aya Cash in "The Boys," a dark take on a group of corporate superheroes that airs on Amazon.

Once the tune started taking further shape in the studio, the chorus became a "gang" with many different people joining in...members of the band, Grandevolution and the Full-Time Dreamers came in to lend a hand. Then Todd went back and threw some keyboards. We added other percussions like bongos and congas. It just became this really "big" song."

LONG STORY SHORT: The Null Rays' "Eyes Wide Open" is not your regular hard rock track. Five minutes of energy is peppered with a keyboard line, guitar solos, and dark lyricism as Carpentier sings, "Put your hands around my throat/watching the lights go out/with eyes wide open." They've also added exciting percussion to the mix, like bongos and congas, a fresh element to an otherwise predictable genre.

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Stream "Eyes Wide Open" below!

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