The story behind its name dates back to 2020 when Josh's trusty Nissan Versa experienced a minor hiccup—one of its headlights malfunctioned. It just so happened that during one of our weekly meetings at our studio in Oakland Park, FL, this incident became the catalyst for the birth of "No Headlights." The name stuck with us, encapsulating the essence of this tune perfectly. The main sections were born during improvisation jams with Itawe Correa in 2018 at Lincoln Beard Brewery (Check out this old jam video) but we finished writing the complete form during the 2020 lockdown. It was during this period of introspection and creative exploration that we finally completed the song.
What truly makes "No Headlights" shine are the incredible musicians who joined us on this sonic trip. We crossed paths with two extraordinary up-and-coming musicians, Sebastian Pareja, and Luigi Arredondo, during one of our gigs at the Lagniappe House in Miami in 2021. This club is a New Orleans-style winery bar that hosts national and international musicians/bands. I’ve seen the best players perform in that room. Lagniappe has been one of our musical homes for over a few years, a place where we've shared the stage with countless talented musicians from the dope Miami music scene. It was here that Josh introduced us to Sebastian during a break between sets. "We should jam a tune together during our last set," he suggested, and with his compact amp and guitar in tow, Sebastian seamlessly joined the band on stage. “Le dicen el Fantasma!” as my subconscious self would have said, which means they call him “The ghost”, the chemistry with this dude was instantaneous. Check out this short video from one of our shows at Lagniappe in 2021.
Very shortly after, Luigi entered the picture. He approached us, saxophone in hand, since he showed up with Sebastian (Chip and I then found out that they’ve been friends since high school), so asked if he could join in for a jam. We didn't hesitate, and that night, a musical fusion like no other unfolded before our eyes and ears right alongside the audience. Sebastian and Luigi brought their unique grooves, fresh sounds, and killer solos to the mix, elevating our performance to new heights. Moments like these remind us of the magic that happens when musicians come together spontaneously on stage. It can be challenging, but when everyone is open to creative possibilities, the result is pure musical experimentation. Do you feel the POCKIT?
That same year, we were invited to the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Festival in Clearwater, FL supporting our family musicians of Fusik, and it was the night that we realized this band configuration had something magical. You can watch the complete show here: POCKiT & Friends live at Clearwater Jazz Holiday (Full Concert). The track was recorded in 2021 and 2023, capturing the evolution of our sound over time. The initial recording took place at the Bull Pro studio in North Miami, by our dude Drew Gonzalez @turnitupdrew. Then, mixing and mastering were finished by our “Parce” Paolo Angulo at his killer home recording studio (The Heat Studio) in Pembroke Pines, FL. This guy is an audio Jedi! Check out his YouTube channel @theheatstudio.
"No Headlights" is an energetic fusion mix of Funk grooves with Southern Rock influences. It highlights electrifying guitar riffs, soulful saxophone melodies, and captivating solos. This single is the first track of our highly anticipated album “En Camino” and will be available on every major music platform starting Friday, September 15th.
Be sure to check out the official 2D Motion Reel music video on YouTube (the link below). This motion reel was created by drawing every scene manually using Adobe Fresco and then adding motion in After Effects. This has been a dope experience to push creativity through this process. I hope you dig it!
We’re going to be releasing more music until the end of the year, so keep bouncing back to our media accounts to be up to date with us and the project.
You are awesome!