Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are marking the tenth anniversary of their game-changing self-titled debut album with a deluxe reissue due October 10, bringing with it not just the original gold-certified record but also an entire album’s worth of demo recordings that show how the sound of the band was born.
The new edition adds eleven previously unheard demos, including the very first Night Sweats song, “Trying So Hard Not To Know.” It’s a fitting anniversary release, pulling fans back into the raw creative spark that lifted Rateliff from relative obscurity into international recognition seemingly overnight.
Before the Night Sweats, Nathaniel Rateliff was known in Denver’s indie folk scene for his solo albums In Memory of Loss (2010) and Falling Faster Than You Can Run (2013). While critically respected, those albums did not bring him widespread commercial success. By the early 2010s, Rateliff was even contemplating leaving music behind to return to work as a gardener.
The turning point came when he started experimenting with what he imagined might happen if the soul grit of Stax artists like Sam & Dave collided with the roots rock Americana of The Band.
Out of that thought exercise came “Trying So Hard Not To Know,” the first song that gave him the confidence to pursue a different path.
Those attic demos, tracked on GarageBand with just a single microphone, laptop, and interface, would eventually become the foundation for Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (2015), recorded properly with the late producer Richard Swift.
The debut album introduced the world to a bold mix of horn-fueled R&B, stomping soul, and rootsy rock swagger. Its breakout single “S.O.B.” became a two-times platinum smash and a festival anthem. Alongside “Look It Here,” “Wasting Time” and “I Need Never Get Old,” the record generated four Triple A Top 20 hits, instantly turning the Night Sweats into one of the most in-demand new acts of the decade.
That momentum carried the band from club shows to television breakthroughs. A 2015 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon made headlines when the band’s performance sent pre-sales for the album skyrocketing before it had even been released. From there, they graced Saturday Night Live, toured globally, and shared stages with Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan.
By 2023, the band had gone from Denver bars to selling out Madison Square Garden, with Fallon himself joining them on stage for a raucous encore of “S.O.B.”
The Discography
The Night Sweats’ body of work since their debut shows steady growth and stylistic expansion, but the 2015 self-titled album remains the cornerstone.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (2015)
The gold-certified debut, produced by Richard Swift, blending soul revival with Americana grit.
Tearing at the Seams (2018)
A more expansive second album that deepened the horn arrangements and brought hits like “You Worry Me.”
The Future (2021)
An introspective pandemic-era record, leaning into Rateliff’s reflective songwriting while still powered by the band’s signature sound.
What If I (2023)
An EP release showcasing a mix of new songs and re-imagined versions, underscoring the group’s versatility.
South of Here
A 70s-tinged roots rock and soul with deeply personal reflections on anxiety, loss, and resilience, all delivered with warmth, grit, and emotional depth.
The upcoming Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (10th Anniversary Edition) sits at the center of this discography, providing both a retrospective look at the band’s roots and a deeper appreciation of how their sound evolved. For longtime fans, it’s a rare glimpse at the raw materials that shaped the Night Sweats’ identity. For newer listeners, it’s a reminder of why that debut was such a cultural jolt.
Beyond nostalgia, this reissue highlights the creative chemistry between Rateliff and Richard Swift, who passed away in 2018. Swift’s production gave the songs their cinematic punch, but the demos reveal how much of the sound and spirit was already there in Rateliff’s attic sketches.
Reflecting on Swift, Rateliff has said, “We get a few opportunities in our lives where our paths cross with another force that’s greater than our own, and he certainly left a lasting impact on me.” The demos capture the friendship’s beginnings, offering a poignant reminder of Swift’s enduring influence on Rateliff’s work.
For Rateliff, the anniversary edition isn’t just a retrospective—it’s a celebration of survival. What he thought would be his last attempt at music became the beginning of a new chapter that’s still unfolding a decade later.
Tracklist: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (10th Anniversary Edition)
I Need Never Get Old
Howling At Nothing
Trying So Hard Not To Know
I’ve Been Failing
S.O.B.
Wasting Time
Thank You
Look It Here
Shake
I’d Be Waiting
Mellow Out
Wasting Time (Demo)
Howling At Nothing (Demo)
Trying So Hard Not To Know (Demo)
A Little More Too (Demo)
Late Night Party (Demo)
I Need Never Get Old (Demo)
Thank You (Demo)
Look It Here (Demo)
Feelin It (Demo)
I’d Be Waiting (Demo)
Mellow Out (Demo)
In the decade since Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, the band has become one of the premier live acts in America, known for sweat-soaked, horn-driven shows that bridge past and present. The reissue doesn’t just revisit the debut; it reaffirms how vital the record remains in the lineage of modern soul and roots rock.
Ten years on, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats are no longer the surprise breakout—they are the legacy act in the making. And this anniversary edition shows exactly where that journey began.
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