The Plain White T's American Nights LP (Vinyl)

First Independent Album Since 2001 On Vinyl LP!

Years after the Plain White T's kicked off their career in the Chicago suburbs playing a mix of pop, punk and melody-driven rock and roll in basements and clubs across the metro area, the group return with the album American Nights.

With several thousand shows and a string of platinum-selling singles, including the mega-hit "Hey There Delilah", under their belts the guys haven't stopped heading back to the basement to dream up new sounds. There's where the Plain White T's put the finishing touches on American Nights, the band's first independent album since 2001.

Independence. It's what American rock & roll - and American Nights - have always been about. Even during the band's days with Fearless and Hollywood Records, the Plain White T's thrived on doing things their own way. They'd hire close friends to produce their albums and ask high school classmates to direct their music videos. Now, five years after the release of Wonders of the Younger, they're upping the ante by striking out on their own as an independent band, even putting the finishing touches on their newest album in frontman Tom Higgenson's basement studio.

The result is American Nights, an album that focuses on everything fans have come to expect from the Plain White T's - summary anthems, heart-on-the-sleeve lyrics, acoustic love songs - while still breaking new ground. It's an album about freedom. An album about looking back while still moving forward. It's also the most collaborative thing the buys have ever done, with three of the band members contributing their own songs to the track list. HIggenson wrote six. Guitarist Tim Lopez, who sang the Top 40 single "Rhythm of Love" on Wonders of the Younger, wrote four. Guitarist Dave Tirio wrote one.

"We had complete freedom," says Higgenson. "We didn't worry about figuring out what our label wanted, or what would help us get onto the radio. We weren't worried about doing too many acoustic songs or too many rock songs. We just wanted to do the ones that told our story. We wanted to be honest, because that's always been what's connected us the most to our fans."

The future looks bright for the Plain White T's. Even so, American Nights is an album that lives in the present, focusing on what's happening now instead of what might happen tomorrow. On songs like the anthemic title track, Higgenson sings about hitting the streets of his hometown with a pretty woman in the shotgun seat. On breezy love songs like "Love Again", Lopez croons a melody reminiscent of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay". Those two bookends - the epic rock songs and the acoustic-leaning ballads - have always been the Plain White T's bread and butter, and they're dished up in hefty servings throughout the album.

"After years, we finally get to make the album that we wanted to make," Higgenson says. "That's the most exciting thing for any artist: to have free reign to make an artistic statement. We're rejuvenated and re-inspired. We're taking the reins."

Features:
• Vinyl LP

Selections:
Side A
1. American Nights
2. Pause
3. Never Working
4. Heavy Rotation
5. Stay
6. You Belong
Side B
7. Dance Off time
8. Someday You're Gonna Love Me
9. Love Again
10. Time to Move On
11. Here Comes That Sunrise