Retrowave trailblazers The Midnight have become a 5 piece which has resulted in a change of sound. This new album still sounds like a retro pop record, but it is more a collection of stories rather than a electronica showcase like records of the past.
In the track ‘Brooklyn. Friday. Love.’ frontman Tyler Lyle croons “I sing my borrowed song on your borrowed guitar” which is apt as The Midnight have borrowed parts from lots of songs for this album. That song features the baseline from U2’s ‘With Or Without You’ for example, and ‘Heartbeat’ sounds like the result of Lionel Richie’s ‘Dancing On The Ceiling’ getting it on with Van Halen’s ‘Jump’!
‘Heroes’ has guitar flicks straight out of ‘Walking On The Moon’ by The Police and ‘Heart Worth Breaking’ has keyboard parts which remind me of ‘If You Were Here Tonight’ by Alexander O’Neal. Not content with borrowing from the 80s, ‘Avalanche’ recycles the wailing from 2009’s ‘Kings And Queens’ by 30 Seconds To Mars for its intro.
This recycling shouldn’t distract from the quality of the album though, the nods to the past enhance the whole LP. I’ve had this album on repeat for a few days and it gets better each time. Maybe I’m just a sucker for nostalgia pop but this is cracking.
Tracks To Try: ‘Brooklyn. Friday. Love.’, ‘Heart Worth Breaking’, ‘Change Your Heart Or Die’
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