Late Nite Laundry w/ Secret Guest

Chicago psychedelic soul quartet Late Nite Laundry is a band where each member is integral to their songwriting and sound. While they began as a five-piece in 2019, the group restructured when their former vocalist left amid the pandemic in early 2020, forcing the rest of the band to find their footing again but becoming a tighter unit as a result.

2020 brought cancellations to their biggest promises at the time — including opening for Slow Pulp, touring with Winona Forever, and an official SXSW showcase — but all their time at home led to them rediscovering their sound and smoothening their process, from songwriting to production, since they do everything in-house outside of mastering.

When they began releasing a string of standalone singles between late 2020 and late 2021, The Chicago Tribune wrote that they blend “vivid, lo-fi sonic elements with a catchy melody and an anchored rhythm perfect for long evenings indoors,” also comparing their smokey, soulful single “Fantasy” to Khruangbin.

Guitarist Ari Lindo and bassist (and the band’s designer) Emily Burlew have joined forces on vocals while keyboardist Brenden Cabrera is the band's resident engineer and producer. Drummer Alex Santilli, who has joined the stage for artists such as KAINA and Thee Sacred Souls, also contributes to the songwriting process with the rest of the band.

The Chicago Tribune summed up the past few years for the band well when they wrote, “Late Nite Laundry is recovering from a lot, but the Chicago band is forging ahead with its psychedelic soul sound.” Now a few years later, they’ll be releasing their self-titled EP in fall 2022 via Acrophase (Ginger Root, V.V. Lightbody, King Pari), and it’ll be as much of a restart as much as a statement that they’re here to stay.