The Midnight Explained

The Midnight
Landscape:yes
Origin:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years Active:2012–present
Associated Acts:Tyler Lyle, Nikki Flores, FM-84, Timecop1983, Scavenger Hunt, Jesse Molloy, Thomas Edinger, Rupert van E, William Pope, Dr. VE, Jupiter Winter
Current Members:
  • Tim McEwan
  • Tyler Lyle

The Midnight is an American synthwave band composed of Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Tyler Lyle and Los Angeles–based Danish-born producer, songwriter, and singer Tim McEwan.[1]

Origins

The band was formed as a result of Lyle and McEwan meeting during a co-writing workshop in 2012 in North Hollywood, CA.[2] [3] Inspired in part by the score for Drive, and the retro synth genre growing around its release,[3] the pair wrote two singles, "WeMoveForward" and "Gloria", that would be released two years later in 2014 as part of their debut EP titled Days of Thunder.[4]

Career

In 2016, the duo released a 12 track LP, Endless Summer,[5] followed in 2017 with the release of Nocturnal,[6] which spent several weeks as a best seller on the music distribution website Bandcamp and reached number 17 on Billboards Dance/Electronic charts in October 2017.[7] The band went on to perform their second sell-out concert, taking place at the Globe Theatre on Broadway in Los Angeles in November 2017.[8] The band had multiple collaborations with Timecop1983, another retro synth genre producer. One of the collaborations appears on the album Nocturnal, titled "River of Darkness". The other collaboration between them appears on the album Night Drive of Timecop1983, titled "Static".

The band's motto is "Japanese: [[mono no aware]]" (Japanese: 物の哀れ), a Japanese phrase that loosely translates to "a sense of nostalgic wistfulness and the awareness that nothing lasts forever".[9]

In 2019 McEwan appeared in the documentary film The Rise of the Synths, which explored the origins and growth of the synthwave genre. McEwan appeared alongside various other composers from the scene, including John Carpenter, who also starred in and narrated the film.

During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, The Midnight hosted a remix competition called Remix Radio, providing the stems of multiple songs they had produced on their website for free. On April 3, 2020, the livestream premiered on YouTube for one hour and thirty minutes.

Personal lives

Tim McEwan's parents are Tom McEwan and Terese Damsholt.[10]

Band members

Current members

Touring musicians

Former touring musicians

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
US
[11]
AUS
[12]
UK
[13]
Endless Summer
  • Released: August 5, 2016
  • Formats: Cassette, CD Re-issue, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Nocturnal
  • Released: October 13, 2017
  • Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Kids
  • Released: September 21, 2018
  • Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Monsters
  • Released: July 10, 2020
  • Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
134 28 85
Heroes
  • Released: September 9, 2022
  • Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
167 66 74

Collaborative albums

TitleDetails
The Midnight Remixed 01
  • Released: August 14, 2017
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
The Midnight Remixed 02
  • Released: September 27, 2019
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

TitleDetails
Days of Thunder
  • Released: July 15, 2014
  • Formats: Cassette, CD, digital download, streaming, vinyl
Horror Show[14]
  • Released: October 16, 2020
  • Formats: Cassette, Digital download, streaming, vinyl
The Rearview Mirror
(with Magik*Magik)[15]
  • Released: July 23, 2021
  • Formats: digital download, streaming, vinyl

Singles

TitleYearAlbum
"Sunset"2016Endless Summer
"Vampires"
"Crystalline"2017Nocturnal
"Lost Boy"2018Kids
"America 2"
"Arcade Dreams"
"America Online"2019Monsters
"Sometimes She Smiles"Vehlinggo Presents: 5 Years
"Deep Blue"2020Monsters
"Dance with Somebody"
"Prom Night"
"C O L D P I Z Z A"2021rowspan="1" -
"Neon Medusa"Horror Show
"Good in Red"
"Ghost in Your Stereo"
"Change Your Heart or Die"2022Heroes
"Heartbeat"
"Avalanche"
"Brooklyn. Friday. Love"
"Heart Worth Breaking"
"Land Locked Heart"2023Road 96: Mile 0 (Video Game Soundtrack)

Remixes

Artist Title Release date
Tyler LyleLost & Found (The Midnight Remix)March 13, 2016
Drake 0 To 100 (The Midnight Remix) July 2016
Scavenger Hunt Never Enough (The Midnight Remix) November 8, 2016
ARIZONA Oceans Away (The Midnight Remix) February 24, 2017
Clubhouse Kyra (The Midnight Remix) April 10, 2017
Jon Bellion 80's Films (The Midnight Remix) June 25, 2017
The Night Game The Outfield (The Midnight Remix) April 27, 2018
SYML Clean Eyes (The Midnight Remix) February 8, 2019
The Ivy Missing Out (The Midnight Remix) April 21, 2020
Latroit Don't Give Up (The Midnight Remix) September 25, 2020

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Midnight. The Midnight.
  2. Web site: - YouTube. YouTube.
  3. Web site: The Midnight Live Stream Video, April 10/2017. Tausi New VHS Technologist. 20 April 2017. YouTube.
  4. Web site: Days of Thunder, by The Midnight. The Midnight.
  5. Web site: Endless Summer, by The Midnight. The Midnight.
  6. Web site: Nocturnal, by The Midnight. The Midnight.
  7. Web site: Reliving the Past with The Midnight: An In-Depth Interview. 12 November 2017.
  8. Web site: FM-84 and The Midnight @ The Globe Theatre - LA Music Blog. lamusicblog.com.
  9. Web site: The Midnight paint with vibrant sonic colors as they prepare their new LP, tour the world [Interview]]. Dexter. Robyn. 2019. Dancing Astronaut. March 29, 2020.
  10. Web site: The Midnight Interview. gaffa.dk.
  11. The Midnight Chart History: Billboard 200. Billboard. April 18, 2022.
  12. Peaks in Australia:
  13. Web site: Midnight full Official Chart history. Official Charts Company. July 18, 2020.
  14. Web site: Horror Show - EP by The Midnight on Apple Music . Apple Music . 19 March 2021 . April 7, 2021.
  15. Web site: The Rearview Mirror - EP by The Midnight & Magik*Magik on Apple Music . Apple Music . 23 July 2021 . June 16, 2023.