Garrett Anthony Rice has been quietly carving out a place for himself among songwriters who treat rock tradition as something living rather than nostalgic. His latest double single, “In the Night Time We Shone” and “Purple Man (For Jimi),” feels like a small but meaningful signal that he knows exactly where he comes from and where he wants to go.

“In the Night Time We Shone” arrives in a low glow. It leans into the atmosphere first, built on dark contours and a sense of movement that never forces itself into sharp focus. The chorus opens its arms a bit more, without losing the pulse underneath. When the outro starts to melt into subtle rhythmic experiments, the track has already gotten into this hypnotic pacing that is more like the afterimage of a moment than a remembered one. It’s low key in a manner which indicates the presence of confidence instead of caution. 

“Purple Man (For Jimi),” its companion, stands in conversation with the lineage Garrett draws from. The Hendrix shout out is evident in the title, but the track cleverly avoids the typical pitfalls of homage. Rather than imitation, he is at a place of deep musical communication, thoroughly absorbing the style and feel without attempting to make an exact copy of them. The cycling riff that anchors the song keeps everything locked into a steady forward push. There’s a hint of a softened Foo Fighters energy in the way it carries itself, roughened edges, but smoothed by reflection. It’s a tribute filtered through his own sensibilities, not a reenactment.

Lined up, these two pieces together seem to be a brief glimpse of Equinox, the daring double LP Garrett has been crafting with such meticulousness as to indicate that he is indeed setting up a long play. The work here isn’t flashy. It’s deliberate. It’s rooted. And it’s the kind of writing that tends to reveal an artist who is about to crest into broader recognition, someone aware of rock’s forefathers but unwilling to drown in their shadows.