‘I lie in bed, stare at the numbers above my head, and I am panicking, panicking about my life…’ No, that’s not an extract from my therapist-mandated mood journal, that’s the opening lines of Midlight’s latest release ‘Daily Routine’. It’s a clever angle to focus on the mundanity of anxiety – sometimes it’s not dramatic breakdowns, sometimes it’s just a grey, humming, daily routine. Let’s take a look.
Midlight – Daily Routine
Midlight is a Brighton-born alternative rock band, with the members going all the way back to their school days. This track comes as the latest in a string of singles over the past year. The band have picked up support from 6Music and Radio X along the way.
‘Daily Routine’ is a beautifully understated soft rock tune about the crushing dullness of everyday worries, with plenty of influence from classic British bands.
Listeners may pick up on shades of Coldplay, Oasis and Radiohead, and all for the better. Their relatable lyrics admit to being ‘too busy worrying about 10 years down the line’, concluding in that chorus that they’re ‘chasing the problems I’m facing, and this is my daily routine’, all delivered in gravelly, highly listenable vocals, with swooping, carefully crafted melodies.
With that chugging guitar, smooth bass lines and hints of distortion and wide-open synths, it’s a familiar yet incredibly polished and effective production. The cunningly placed harmonies shift the moods, so even though ‘Nobody’s playing fair’, we’re not left too hopeless. It’s another strong release for Midlight, showing their range and instant appeal factor, another solid building block for what will hopefully be a long, steady career.
Discover more from Midlight
Midlight’s ‘Emergency’ Song was the RCM Recommended track on episode 4 of The Daydream Club Presents Podcast
Words Eden Tredwell
