Midlight – ‘Consume Me’
It seems like a long time since I first heard the demo of ‘Consume Me’ in the summer of 2020. It was the first song of four that Midlight had sent to me, with a view to reviewing their first single release and I could tell even in demo form ‘Consume Me’ was a great song. The official release of that song is now upon us and it is not too dissimilar to their original, as the arrangement has thankfully been left untouched.
And for me this is the song’s beauty.
It is massively unconventional as it is a song with three different sections with no obvious chorus or repetition. It also doesn’t resolve itself particularly either, but far from this being a criticism or a problem, this made me want to play the song immediately again – the hook really is the song, not a riff or a chorus, but the song itself. That takes courage in the music business, where generally the hook is the focus and the song takes a back seat.
After a minimalist, whispered intro, ‘Consume Me’ kicks in with a glorious groove from an understated but funky bass line and a drum track that highlights the off beat and has a delightful
Steve Gadd shuffle on the snare reminiscent of ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’. The bass and wistful vocal lines syncopate beautifully and the crossing grooves coming from the drums are totally hypnotic; Midlight are past masters of utilising complex rhythm patterns in this way, it’s almost like their signature sound.
The acoustic guitar drives the song through the sections and then swirls of electric guitar feedback and reverb trails take over in an all encompassing sonic experience. At just over two minutes into the song it feels like it is winding down, but then there is a stunning change of bassline which again has accents at odds with the drum kit. This leads to a mesmerising extended outro, and as already mentioned, an unresolved ending; the song kind of tails off as instruments drop out one by one.
There is a feeling that this is a somewhat deliberate attempt to subvert pop music conventions, but I actually think this is not at all cynical or clinical, because it feels like a band’s natural expression and I love they have the conviction to go with that without overthinking where their music belongs.
Midlight are in total control of their creative output and they somehow make writing, arranging and producing seem effortless, but it isn’t – they construct and perform their songs with an absolute attention to the smallest detail. They may not follow conventions, and choose to ditch a chorus in favour of a guitar sound or a bass groove, but their ultimate goal is always representing their feelings and emotions first and foremost – it is about capturing an attitude and a vibe, and I cannot fault such honest intentions.
I managed to discuss the band’s background and way of working with guitarist Isaac, as I was interested in how any up and coming artist is able to keep afloat post-Covid, without financial support from the business. It is also imperative, I believe, to remove the smoke and mirrors and online image that is used in promotion, so you see that at the heart of any good band is a group of focused and hardworking musicians, not puppets controlled by a large organisation:
Isaac: We don’t have financial backing and we fund the band from our day jobs and also from the money the band makes. Gigs are very important in this process, especially gigs that are self-promoted. Gigs that we book and take the ticket money for are essential to funding the writing, recording and releasing of our music. Streaming doesn’t contribute in any meaningful way to the financial support of the band. We also got a grant from a university to help us buy some microphones for our studio, which we wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise. Grants can be a very important source of funding for musicians without financial backing.
Although I don’t want to be misleading, we have had lots of support from our families and people in our lives. We wouldn’t be doing what we are today without that. We were lucky to grow up in Brighton which has a very strong music scene and lots of culture, and at school (where we all met) we were encouraged to do music. We have always made the most of all the music facilities at our schools and universities. But as it stands, we do rely on the limited income from our live shows and our day jobs to fund the band.
You said that you self-produced and recorded ‘Consume Me’ at your studio, how was your studio set up and financed?
Isaac: The studio was a stroke of luck that we have made the best out of. A friend of Ollie’s was working in an art gallery and an old artist studio became available, and he knew we were looking for a space for our music. It is not designed for music (at all!) but we have spent two years now slowly turning it into a more acoustic friendly place. We have done that all DIY, using spare parts from the art exhibitions in the gallery and using cheap, makeshift materials. It is by no means perfect, but it has allowed us to carry on making and recording music ourselves on the cheap, which has been a gift over the last few years. We have picked up almost all of the gear second-hand and we recently bought a small, second-hand upright piano.
Do you have an audience in mind when you are writing and making your music?
Isaac: Our music is not marketed or aimed at any specific audience or demographic. Our songs just exist and are a document of our lives, and if people can relate or find connection in what we do that’s that - it doesn’t matter who they are, where they are or who we are.
How do you deal with distribution, promotion, getting airplay etc - is this through a manager or do the band do it all?
Isaac: The release process is something we are continually working on and trying to streamline, especially when we don’t have financial backing to put into a PR company. There are a lot of time consuming aspects that might not be as obvious as the music itself, for example, we make all our own artwork, do all of our own press releases, make our own social media assets, pitch our music to press, etc… the list goes on. A lot of these things are about trying to cultivate an image/brand which is very frustrating, because we just want what we do to be about the music we make. A lot of hard work and hours goes into that side of things, which is hard to justify when we just want to be making music. We would love to have more time to focus on our music and hopefully that will come. But, regardless of that, it is for all of us, something that we love and need to do.
Our biggest breakthrough with promoting our music came when we did a lockdown virtual gig for Oxfam and Shaun Keaveny (who was at BBC 6 Music at the time), was compering the show. He really liked our performance and since then has been a big champion of our music on the radio, which has helped get other people to take notice of us.
‘Consume Me’ is released on 10-12-21 and can be heard and purchased here: