Biography
Biography
nightshades - Kelowna, BC
nightshades is a collaborative indie rock band, featuring four esteemed Canadian songwriters (Andrew Judah, Common Fires, DL Ranney, and N.Sherman). In a Beatles-esque timeshare of genre-defying, vibrant music; nightshades' sound is rich with diverse music exploration, but anchored by melodic hooks and irresistible rhythmic flourish.
With all four members swapping vocal and instrumental duties, nightshades' live show is both visually and sonically dynamic. Complementary (but distinct) timbres, abilities, and songwriting styles blend on-stage in real-time: nightshades assembles a jigsaw puzzle of talent in front of their audience with every performance.
Since the band's inception in early 2023, nightshades has released three full-length records (2025’s ‘Inside Joke’ + 'Open Secret', and 2024's ‘Reducer’), and three EPs ('It's Not Weird', 'Yellow and Green', and 'Very Good Friend').
nightshades is a very good friend of yours.
nightshades releases two albums in 2025
Open Secret
October 17th, 2025
‘Open Secret’, the third full-length album from nightshades, arrives as the spacious counterpart to 2025’s earlier release, 'Inside Joke'. While ‘Inside Joke’, with its tightly packed and dark arrangements, saw the BC collaborative art rock band maintain a frenetic pace, 'Open Secret' takes time to exhale: expansive, atmospheric, and effortlessly melodic. The same four minds - Andrew Judah, Common Fires, DL Ranney, and N. Sherman - return to trade instruments, voices, and instincts in constant rotation, blurring authorship and showcasing the band at ease with their genre-fluidity.
At times, ‘Open Secret’ becomes mischievous and old-school in its melodic turns (‘Cursed’, ‘A Minute’), drifting between emotive synth landscapes (‘Open Secret’, ‘Leaves’) and wide-open acid rock arrangements (‘Carrier Pigeon’, ‘Red & Orange’). Moments of coquettish detachment (‘No Spooky’, ‘Slickers’) exist in direct contrast to striking vulnerability (‘Okay’, ‘Ghost’), presenting ‘Open Secret’s diverse musical influences as a series of warm, confident vignettes.
'Open Secret' - performed by nightshades, and produced by Andrew Judah - is out October 17th, 2025.
Inside Joke
July 9th, 2025
Nightshades’ second full-length album, ‘Inside Joke’ represents a natural and dramatic evolution for British Columbia’s genre-defying “super-group”. Following last year’s shimmering debut album ‘Reducer’, the four-piece (Andrew Judah, Common Fires, DL Ranney, N. Sherman) pivot into multi-pronged musical exploration: pairing patented instrumental intricacy and harmony with an increased sense of urgency and deeply expressive groove. From the post-punk, barn-burning intensity of ‘Kill the Gods’, ‘Echosound’, and ‘Animal’, to the needle-drop snappiness of ‘Orpheus’, ‘Apology’, and ‘See That Bear’, ‘Inside Joke’ contorts itself into diverse shapes with impossible fluidity and confidence.
With ‘Inside Joke’, nightshades celebrates two and a half years together. Despite their discography now showcasing 37 total songs, to use the word “prolific” would do the instrument-swapping quartet a disservice: ‘Inside Joke’ is not just the latest storied chapter in nightshades’ short history—it is Canada’s most-undefineable band moving forward beyond self-discovery and stepping into true creative actualization.
‘Inside Joke’—performed by nightshades, and produced by Andrew Judah—is out July 9th, 2025.
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