LOS ANGELES, CA — At a secret location in the middle of Los Angeles hides a retro 80s-themed club. Cassette tapes, Pac-Man arcade games, retro TVs and John Hughes-era movie posters adorn the walls as hidden doors and alleyways lead to a neon-lit karaoke room. The space — intimate, dark and lively — is a hidden gem.

Best of all? The music of The Night Game couldn’t be more well fit for this venue.

A sound embedded in 80s-inspired synths, atmospheric sounds and guitar pedal friendly “woos” and “wahs” are just a few ways to describe multi-platinum-selling singer, songwriter and producer Martin Johnson’s (Boys Like Girls) newest project.

To celebrate the release of Johnson’s self-titled debut album The Night Game, arriving September 7th through Vertigo/Interscope Records, Johnson held an early album release party at Break Room 86 in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

An open bar, arcade games and longtime industry friends and fans filled the room. A DJ set by Kirin J. Callinan topped the night off as Johnson played three of his singles (“Once In A Lifetime,” “American Nights” and “The Outfield”) to celebrate the release. We were hoping that Caroline Polachek (formerly of Chairlift) would drop in to perform The Night Game’s latest smoldering collaboration, “Do You Think About Us?” but that performance would have to wait for another day.

“Let’s get back to the party,” Johnson said, as he played his songs with a backing keyboardist and pedal-friendly guitarist.

Johnson, who is a lively, energetic and seasoned live performer, commanded the crowd with a sense of ease and pure joy, as he whipped his acoustic guitar out, guided his fellow bandmates and even played a backtrack from an old boombox, creating a sound that is both nostalgic, current and completely his own.

The 11-track debut LP by the Grammy-winning artist has been one of the most highly-anticipated releases of the year. Since the launch of his impressive first single “The Outfield” in the spring of last year, The Night Game has toured with John Mayer in the summer of 2017, done his own small tours across the country and been featured on Kygo’s title track from his debut album Kids in Love.

The Night Game’s debut album is available for pre-order on iTunes and Spotify.

Follow The Night Game on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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