Los Angeles indie rock/pop trio Night Talks have a message for anyone bending themselves into knots to keep someone else happy: stop it. Their new single “People Pleaser,” out now alongside a matching music video, is a funky, splashy celebration of choosing yourself first — and it might just be the most danceable boundary-setting anthem of the year.

Produced and co-written with Eric Palmquist (Bad Suns, Tate McRae, half•alive), the track strips things back to let the groove breathe. A funky bassline locks in with a baritone guitar loop while sparse percussion and shaker-like acoustic guitars keep everything moving. It’s a bright, airy shift for the band — proof that sometimes less really is more.

“‘People Pleaser’ is a celebratory song about overcoming your tendencies to put everyone else first, and not wasting time with a person who makes you bend for them constantly,” says vocalist Soraya Sebghati. “Lyrically, we wanted it to be vague whether it’s about a friend or a partner, since this kind of dynamic can apply to any relationship.”

Guitarist Jacob Butler adds that the production was a deliberate exercise in restraint: “We tried to create something more sparse than songs we’ve done before, with fewer layers that each serve to either be funky or percussive; even the acoustic guitars feel more like shakers in the track.”

The accompanying video, shot at the band’s own Night Talks HQ, leans hard into the daydream. Filmed on three different cameras — a regular camera, an old TV zoom lens, and a VHS — the visual has a multimedia, dreamlike quality that mirrors the song’s loose, hypnotic pull.

Stream “People Pleaser” on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Lj1iLPdfYTRtwHQrYwgCD

Formed officially in 2014, Night Talks is the lifelong friendship of Sebghati, Butler, and bassist Josh Arteaga — three born-and-raised Angelenos who make sparkly alt-rock equally inspired by LCD Soundsystem, Queens of the Stone Age, and the films they love. Their 2022 debut LP Same Time Tomorrow earned them KROQ’s #1 Locals Only song of the year (“On And On”), a sold-out Troubadour show, and praise from Buzzbands LA, GrimyGoods, and Melodic Magazine, who called their 2025 single “Shadows On The Run” a masterful “mixture of rock guitars and glittery synths.”

The band has shared stages with Couch, Circa Waves, Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade), Wine Lip, and Kississippi, and recently collaborated with GRAMMY-nominated guitarist Cory Wong on their single “Targets” after Sebghati popped up as a surprise guest on his 2024 tour. They also stopped by Jam In The Van earlier this year for a full set.

With “People Pleaser” out in the world and big plans ahead, Night Talks are stepping into their next chapter on their own terms. Press play, turn it up, and take the hint.