For Bay Area alternative folk artist Nick Costa, that inner reckoning poured straight into his latest LP, When the Lights Go Out. The record moves between lush, cinematic arrangements and raw, intimate performances, carrying the weight of change while still finding beauty in the everyday. We caught up with Nick to talk about the journey behind the album, the resilience at its core, and the stories he’s ready to share.
SNQLX: Let’s start at the top—what first pulled you into making music, and when did it start feeling like more than just a hobby?
NICK: I always really loved music, ever since I was a kid. My Dad used to have music on all the time, and he would use it to bond with my siblings and I. I think when I really wanted to make music was after I heard blink-182’s Enema of the State when I was like 10 years old. Shortly after that I got a guitar, and since I was teaching myself, I ended up just writing stuff to learn how the instrument worked. After that, I was entirely consumed and just had to keep writing. I never, ever stopped.
