FEATURE: Spotlight: Middle Kids

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Daphne Nguyen

Middle Kids

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FOR this installment of Spotlight…  

my focus is on an Australian band who I have been following for a couple of years now. Hailing from Sydney, since they formed in 2016, Middle Kids have released the E.P. Middle Kids (2017), the album Lost Friends (2018), and the New Songs for Old Problems E.P. (2019). They have a new song out, R U 4 Me?, and it is among their very best! I am going to bring in a few reviews later that covers their album and latest E.P., but Middle Kids are a band that I think are going to go a very long way, and their best work is yet ahead. There has not been too much press or promotion this year, so I am going to go back a little bit when it comes to an interview. In fact, the band - Hannah Joy (vocals, guitar, piano), Tim Fitz (bass, production) and Harry Day (drums) -, spoke with Under the Radar, in 2017, and we get to learn a bit more about them:

“The band name chosen by Sydney, Australia trio Middle Kids also describes the upbringing of singer Hannah Joy and multi-instrumentalist Tim Fitz. "Tim and I are both middle kids," Joy explains. "I think it's common to find middle kids being a little bit unsure of their place in the family. It's cool, though, because you get a bit of love from both sides and end up having to fight to find who you are."

As a band, Middle Kids, who also include drummer Harry Day, have few reasons to be unsure of themselves, already gathering momentum thanks to their anthemic first single "Edge of Town"—a charming, confident track filled with anticipation, due to Joy's mesmerizing lilt. "'Edge of Town' is a story about the experience of trying to get a hold of your life, or figure out what it means to be a human, and then something happens which makes you realize how little you know or how little control you have over certain things," explains Joy. "It's meant to tap into that anxiety, but it's also meant to give a sense that it's going to be okay and there is actually freedom in not being in control all the time".

Joy met Fitz through mutual friends in 2014. Fitz was already working on his solo career, but he began producing Joy's own material and performing in her band, which led to them adding Day and forming Middle Kids in 2016. Joy is classically-trained, while Day has a jazz background, but the trio find common ground on their affinity for Pixies, Broken Social Scene, Pavement, and Britpop. "Bands from Australia have an interesting perspective because culturally we have been influenced by U.K. and America but being so far removed also means our own identity forms in quite a unique way," says Joy. "Someone I am influenced a lot by is Neil Finn but you probably can't hear that".

The best thing one can do with the likes of Middle Kids is to listen to the music and get a fuller sense of what they are all about. I would encourage people to follow them on social media and keep an eye on what is coming next. Although there is every possibility that they could play in Australia in the coming months, I think it is unlikely they will be making it further afield until later next year. They are growing stronger and more memorable with each of their releases, and I think they will cover a lot of ground in 2021. The band performed a live stream on Thursday (22nd), and they have some gigs in Australia through November. After that, they will be keen to get their new E.P. on the road wider afield. Before nodding to some warm reviews, I want to bring in an interview from The Line of Best Fit from last year. Middle Kids were asked about their debut album, Lost Friends, and they discussed their development and lyrics: 

“It’s a welcome moment of respite for a musician who has poured her heart into the lyricism that shines throughout Middle Kids’ back catalogue. Evergreen themes are awash throughout. As debuts so often do, Lost Friends works through formative feelings around growing up and finding your place in the world. In some ways, it’s similar to the discombobulation Alice feels in Wonderland when she’s strolling through the flowerbeds only for the pansies and posies to turn on her when they can’t cordon her off into a tribe. Joy’s thoughtful lyricism taps into a connectedness through community that we can also recognise. “I feel like the whole album (Lost Friends) one of the big themes is about belonging and that real deep desire for that but often feel like you don’t belong anywhere”, she admits. “As a young person, you have such a dynamic imagination that you actually have to learn how to express it. You can also end up believing lies about yourself. It may not have been explicitly said to you but you can start believing things, you know whatever they are - shame or that you’re not good enough”.

Both Joy and Fitz speak quite openly about their own vulnerabilities. It seems, much like their ambitions with the new studio space, in their years together they have quietly been sowing the seeds of change together. Something that’s testament, Fitz believes, to Joy’s ability to embrace natural faults as she sees them without judgement or reprobation. “Hannah was the first person I met who wasn’t scared of imperfection”. It’s this idea that emits like a beacon from album number - and live show favourite - 'Don’t Be Hiding' in particular. “...And that's kind of the line of the song ‘I’m not scared of the stuff you’re fighting’”, he expands. “That is like one of the most liberating concepts I learnt from Hannah. ‘Yeah, you have imperfections and so does everyone’. It’s not necessarily the best part of you but it’s not a scary part of you”.

“You know what’s funny?” Joy interjects. “That song is one of our loudest singalong songs in our show”, she pauses to take a swig from her water bottle. But it’s not just in voice that the fans are showing their gratitude for the track. “People have this very particular way that they dance to this song, collectively. They take on an old person persona. They’re kind of standing in the crowd like old ladies”. She does a swaying motion back and front with arms flailed. “The whole audience turns into dorks”, she beams.

As if to illustrate the continued unity of the pair at the heart of Middle Kids, Joy is equally pleased with the thematic choices of the tracks. Although, she too was keen to let fresh ideas bloom and instead channeled the frustrations she’d observed in the world quietly imploding around us. “They’re a bit more angsty than the album. I was feeling a bit more distressed about the state of things in the world so it’s a bit more “Aah”....” It’s something that Fitz had spotted when he was handwriting out all of the lyrics for the band’s upcoming album art. “All the lyrics feel like one song”, he begins gesturing columns in front of him. “They feel like one long rant from quite a stern person. That’s when I looked at I thought “Well, this definitely feels distinct. It has its own flavour”. So why the shorter format? “I mean, it could be too much with more than six songs. You can have too much of one vibe”, he jokes. I make a comment about how prolific they appear to be as songwriters in and amongst their relocating and life on the road and get a typically humble response from Fitz. “It’s all self-created stress”.

I really like Lost Friends, and it is an album that found some positive reaction in the U.K. I think, even as recently as a couple of years ago, Middle Kids were a bit new in the U.K., but they definitely made an impression!

The album is a confident and instantly compelling collection of songs and, when The Line of Best Fit reviewed the album, they remarked the following:

“Look no further than “Never Start” for a slice of fizzing pop perfection, whilst “Edge of Town” reminds listeners why the band made so many essential industry lists in the first place.

“Don’t Be Hiding” is plush with sweeping harmonies and spine tingling moments. Joy’s immaculate vocals take centre stage whilst circling guitars propel the track forward. “Maryland” finds the trio in a melancholic mood but still pricks ears with its thrilling intensity.

Ending the album on a high, “So Long I’m Gone” invigorates listeners one final time with a building rhythm and tight vocal harmonies. A soulful affair, it sees Middle Kids challenge themselves and acts as the perfect finale for an expertly paced debut record.

Middle Kids have always been a band to watch out for but now they’re an outfit to really get behind and believe in. Lost Friends is an essential first listen that is never too afraid of a huge chorus or a touch of slow burning intensity. Indebted only to themselves, expect great things from Middle Kids”.

I saw a couple of mixed/three-star reviews that weren’t entirely convinced by the album, and some that felt it was a bit light when it came to killer songs. On the contrast, Middle Kids’ debut has that mixture of instantly arresting songs and other tracks that take a bit longer to unfurl.

It is a rich and interesting album that got me invested in the band, and I was compelled to see where they headed next. I want to quote from a review DORK published about Lost Friends and share some of their findings:

“Shining the limelight directly on vocalist Hannah Joy, ‘Lost Friends’ is a collection of carefully curated narratives exploring the day-to-day lives of optimists living in a pessimistic world, wrapped up in layers of jangly riffs that roll off the tongue like a perfectly-timed pun, their hooks hitting you with authority. Joy’s Stevie Nicks-tinged indie-meets-country croon is a delightful breath of fresh air in a genre as overflowing with the same sound as the internet is with trolls.

‘Lost Friends’ crux is its ability to bubble and build like a New Years’ Fireworks display, simmering softly as each song starts before exploding into arena-ready sing-alongs seconds later, ending in extravagant finales. Bookending the record are perhaps two of the more ambitious cuts, the alt-country jangle of opener ‘Bought It’ and the electro-fuzz of the post-disco ballad closer ‘So Long Farewell I’m Gone,’ which ultimately guide the record's pace to and fro between soft reflection and raucous explosiveness.

Joy’s wittily coy lyricism is driven across plains of indie-pop revivalism, alt-country Mountains and rolling hills of raucous distorting fuzzy riffs. Middle Kids’ hit you in the feels and make you dance with joy simultaneously, and it’s a pleasure to behold.

Alongside the likes of Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett, and The Temper Trap, with ‘Lost Friends’, Middle Kids join a pantheon of Australian exports who mess with formulaic indie-pop in wonderful colourful ways, leaving you singing along for hours”.

From the success of that album, the band released New Songs for Old Problems last May. It is a mini-album containing six pearls. My favourite tracks are Needle, and Real Thing - but there is so much to enjoy about New Songs for Old Problems. It is another release where some were a little underwhelmed, but Middle Kids definitely won plenty of love from critics over here. The Skinny were listening closely:

“There's something so raw and beautiful about the entire project. This could be because of Joy’s fluid vocal dexterity which she flexes on songs like Beliefs & Prayers and Call Me Snowflake. It could also be linked to the mildly mixed production which contributes to win through songs like Needle and Real Thing. One notable track is the bittersweet melody of Real Thing which features Joy’s powerful vocal sighs and Middle Kids' signature fuzzed-out guitar sound that plays a major role in their music.

At the heart of every song on this mini-album is Joy’s golden voice which shines bright thanks to the inventive production by Fitz and Day. On New Songs for Old Problems, Joy’s striking voice ranges from high to low as she lays bitter, reflective and poetic lyrics. Together, Middle Kids create a rich palette of sounds that cuts across the indie genre”.

Even fairly soon after their album, you could see Middle Kids growing even more and bringing new sounds and ideas to the party. It is a great listen, and it already makes me excited to see where they will head next.

I will wrap up, but I just want to bring in one more review for New Songs for Old Problems. DORK wrote about the E.P. and noted Middle Kids’ increase in confidence:

“As Joy sings on opener ‘Beliefs & Prayers’, “we exist with a conscious air”; something of a mission statement for the band themselves. They check themselves to ensure their “personal flair” fits “with the kids upstairs”. They ask us to “know your worth”. Everything here is executed with a keen eye, unafraid to question their very being but never swamping you with the existential.

In amongst all the doubts is a real confidence. These old problems rarely take the same form as Middle Kids present them in as many manifestations as they can find. From the questions roared about our purpose in life on ‘Real Thing’ to the woozy realisations that things might not be so perfect on ‘Salt Eyes’, each song has its own power, even if the subject matter is often the same.

And without the “festival-ready” vibe that ‘Lost Friends’ occasionally fell foul to, ‘New Songs for Old Problems’ feels more personal. These stories are told in something of a universal way, but you can hear how much they mean to the trio in Joy’s vocals alone. Middle Kids have hit on a pretty solid seam and mined it for all it’s worth to reveal some real nuggets, each one shining as bright as the last”.

I would urge everyone to follow one of Australia’s modern-day finest, Middle Kids, as they are a terrific group who have released some awesome music in the past couple of years, and I think they have a lot more to say! Follow closely a wonderful band that…

YOU definitely need in your life.

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Follow Middle Kids

Sam Liddicott