The Nightfly

I’m not here to go into the resurgence of Steely Dan in a post-pandemic world, other than to unironically say that it was well deserved and long coming. But for those who want the jittering keys and unbreakable, ever-smooth vocals of Donald Fagen in the context of the brave new world of the 1980s, we have for you The Nightfly. Feeling less like a lost Dan album and more like a true excursion into synths and heavy-bell electric piano, the album is far more concerned with getting the listener off of their adirondack and onto the dance floor; the shuffles of “I.G.Y.” and “Ruby Baby” nestled comfortably between yacht ragers “New Frontier” and the out and out sad disco of the title track. Not a detour, not a retread, The Nightfly is the sound of The Dan for a new generation of gentlemen losers.