premium ticket events UK site icon
Concerts Pop Concerts Rock Concerts

In Conversation with Midlight

Hailing from the seaside city of Brighton, but now based in London, Midlight is an indie-rock foursome with a bright future. Beginning as a group of teens writing songs after school, George Ireland, Isaac Squires, Ollie Turvey and Owen Beesley are now sharing a string of self-produced, unheard songs for current and potential fans. We had a chance to speak with the band about their debut single ‘Sink To The Level’, discovering new music and much more!

Why did you decide to enter the music industry?

Owen: We started playing music together as a group of friends at the beginning of secondary school for fun. We soon realised after starting that something in it resonated in all of us and it meant more to us than just a hobby. Although we were all busy studying for a few years, I’d say we knew from quite early on that this was what we wanted to do with our lives.

Ollie: I don’t think any of us really ever consciously decided to do this. We’re very aware of the fact that we are friends first and then being a band has sort of always been there for us. I guess being able to make a living with friends out of a shared interest like music is what has drawn us to this (whatever this is).

Can you tell us about your release ‘Sink To The Level’?

George: It sounds like nothing we have done before. Not in a dramatic way, but for the first time, certain instruments take centre stage. It had an immediate atmosphere when we began recording it and I think that comes across in the song.

Ollie: The thing we all really liked about this was that it captured something we hadn’t really been able to express before. It came together in one session and as a result, just felt quite natural and easy. I’m quite excited because it feels like there’s lots more to come. When you’re at the start of a process and you have a feeling like that, it’s just very nice.

What was the recording and writing process like?

George: We always seem to spend so much time talking about what we are trying to do and what we have done, but for ‘Sink To The Level’ it was almost entirely different. We had a bass line, I had words and melody, and we just started shaping this song. It all came together quickly, which we viewed as a good sign.

Does the single have any significant meaning for you?

Isaac: It is our first single as Midlight and the first bit of music we have put out as a band in a very long time. It is also the first track we are releasing that was recorded in our home-built studio. All elements of the song have our personality imprinted on them from writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and now releasing, it is the very definition of an independent record. So, I think it is significant in marking a new chapter for us where we will be releasing a lot more music.

What do you hope people take from your music?

Ollie: I hope people enjoy it as much as we did when making it.

George. I’ve recently decided not to spend much time thinking about how other people view or will view our songs; I used to way too much. I’m not sure what I’m hoping for people to take, but it would be amazing to find people who love our music, who interpret the meaning of the songs in their own way. To think about our music, what has gone into it and what it means to them.

What is more challenging for you – melody or lyrics?

Isaac: Our lyrics come from George – they are very personal and not a collaborative effort like the rest of the music. When it comes to melody, we work together much more and it is also an iterative process. It might come from singing a melody that gets transposed onto the guitar, or it might come from just jamming the song. So the approach to both is very different.

How do you keep yourself motivated?

George: For me, day to day motivation is just listening to music by my heroes. In the bigger picture, we often talk to each other about making music together and that being all we have to focus on.

Owen: I think the question for us is more about finding ways in which we can fit it into our lives even more, as opposed to having to keep ourselves motivated. I think we also try to keep our writing, recording and rehearsal process fresh so that it’s always something we look forward to.

How would you describe your sound?

Isaac: Arghhhh. This question is so HARD. I would say that our music is alt-rock at its core, but is sometimes coated in various other flavours. The best way to describe it is to listen to it!

Owen: I’d say our sound draws from elements of a few different genres (alternative, rock, electronic to name a few) and results in something that we feel is different but also relatable. I’d like to think that whether or not somebody likes our music, they would agree that we try to be as original as we can.

What do you think is the best way to discover new music?

Isaac: I think the best way to discover new music is through other people; that is always the way to find new gems. Listen to recommendations from your friends, from other artists that you like and from anyone if it intrigues you! Also, another thing is always to be willing to try something out. Don’t judge a song by anything but the song.

George: Friends, the radio, going to gigs carefree, and curators like Turtle Tempo. In no particular order.

What does the future hold for you?

Isaac; Well, we do have a backlog of music that we’ve been writing for a few years. We are finally ready to release it so that is what the near future holds – more singles. The long-term plan is to keep making music that excites us and keep working hard to play that music to everyone who wants to hear it. See where that takes us.

Do you have a message for our readers?

Ollie: Thanks for reading this far and hope you like the tune.

Owen: We appreciate it whenever someone listens to our music. If it’s not for you then that’s fine, and if you do like it then that’s great for both of us as we plan to release a lot more in the near future.

The post In Conversation with Midlight appeared first on Turtle Tempo.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.