Song You Need to Know: Night Shop feat. Waxahatchee, ‘In the Twilight Sun’

Justin Sullivan has spent the better part of two decades as a touring drummer for a variety of indie bands, and as a member of Flat Worms and the Babies alongside Kevin Morby and Cassie Ramone. He stepped out into the spotlight in 2018 with In the Break, his solo debut under the name Night Shop. Now Sullivan returns with “In the Twilight Sun,” a slow-burning duet with Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield that’s one of the year’s most charming indie singles.

The track opens with a soulful groove, assisted by Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy on guitar and Woods’ Jarvis Taveniere on bass. “For years I was a sucker/I had something to prove,” Sullivan sings, as if walking down an alleyway in the early morning hours with his hands in his pockets, reflecting on the past. “I thought everyone knew better/Hell, I even believed in you.” Crutchfield lends a hand on vocals, surmising what the future has in store for them: “In the nursing home, we’ll start a band/We’ll play for all the guests and staff.”

“‘In the Twilight Sun’ is a song about aging and platonic love, figuring out what to let go of and what you want to bring with you as you move through life,” Sullivan said in a statement. “Katie has been a dear friend of mine for a long time, through many different music scenes and eras, and she continues to inspire me with the way she navigates that process of loss and growth. I’m really grateful that she wanted to be involved with this song, along with my other deeply talented friends, to make it what it is.”

“In the Twilight Sun” appears on Sullivan’s upcoming EP The Fountain, out September 25th on Salinas Records.

Find a playlist of all of our recent Songs You Need to Know selections on Spotify.