Prior to forming The Midnight, Tyler Lyle and Tim McEwan were both established musicians. Lyle was an indie-folk singer-songwriter based in the state of Georgia and gained initial notability with several self-released titles, becoming regionally and nationally known. McEwan was a drummer and producer based in Denmark, later becoming a member of the Danish production group Deekay who has written and produced songs for many popular artists.
The pair met for the first time in 2012 at a songwriter’s workshop in North Hollywood organized by Katie Donovan, Lyle’s A&R representative at the time. Prior to meeting, McEwan had listened to some of Lyle’s previous work and liked Lyle’s folk sound. Despite differing musical backgrounds, they bonded over a mutual love of 80s rock and began to write songs together. After initially struggling to define their sound, McEwan suggested that they compose songs in the synthwave style. McEwan had prior exposure to the burgeoning genre and was inspired by the movie Drive. The first song they wrote together as a duo was WeMoveForward, which was included on their debut EP Days of Thunder.
STYLE AND WORKFLOW
For most of their career, The Midnight has created a strong and distinct synthwave sound in their music - Tim McEwan once described the band's early albums “as if Miami Vice had a baby with a John Hughes movie”. However, McEwan has continuously expressed a desire to evolve the synthwave genre and not be confined by it. Tyler Lyle has stated several times that the band's philosophy when composing is “combine, not confine”. Influences of genres such as lo-fi, soft rock, trance, and vaporwave can be heard on Monsters, and Lyle's musical background has brought influences of indie folk and Americana to the band's sound as well. Regarding the merging of their individual talents and styles, Lyle has said:
It’s rock and roll with synthesizers. Tim has a keen ear for production, and I can write songs that fit comfortably within the tradition of 20th century classic pop songwriting. Somewhere in the middle things get interesting.
McEwan employs various digital synths in his production, including Serum, Diva, TAL-U-NO-LX, Spire, and Roland Cloud's Jupiter 8 and Juno 106. In mid-2020, he mentioned that his favorite synth to use at the time was U-He's emulation of Prophet-5, known as Repro 5. McEwan has stated that he commonly begins with presets and then tweaks them to his liking. KONTAKT is used for sampling.
Both McEwan and Lyle use Logic Pro on macOS as their primary Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).Universal Audio interfaces are used to capture their sounds, which are then processed using UAD plugins. Using the same utilities makes it easier for them to share session files as a significant amount of their work is done remotely, due to living in different areas of the US. However, they will usually get together in the same room a few times during a release's production and will often write and record together while on tour. A release's sound and overall direction are generally created by the two bouncing ideas off each other - McEwan will send Lyle a rough track or beat, which Lyle will then think of lyrics and a title that would go good with the beat, after which McEwan will further build and produce the track. McEwan has stated that the production of a typical The Midnight album takes around three to six months, “from the early gestating part to finish”.
Production and drums are handled by McEwan, with Lyle providing guitar, lyrics, and vocals. Lyle has stated that he writes on a daily basis, and many lyrics come from a large number of fragments he keeps stored in Evernote. Most of the remaining instrumentation is digital, but on occasion songs (including most with saxophone and guitar solos) will at first have digital instruments that are then outsourced to other musicians to play live on the track. Thomas Edinger has been the primary saxophone player for The Midnight's releases, and McEwan's brother Oliver has frequently played bass for the band as well.
For live performances, various setups have been used by the band. Lyle stated that the Spring 2019 tour utilized an Ableton rig, with McEwan using an SPD SX sampling pad and MIDI controller. Lyle ran his guitars through a Kemper profiling amp, and he also used an OP1 for certain synth moments and pads.
America Online
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I want you, will you want me?
I am reaching, are you reaching out?
If I touch you, will you touch me now?
Through the wires to the heart
Phantom fingers fumble in the dark
I thought I did, I felt a spark
Are we all one beating heart?
Are we all one beating heart?
Are we all one beating heart?
If I love you will you love me?
If I hurt you will you hurt me?
I am reaching, are you reaching out?
If I touch you, will you touch me now?
Through the wires to the heart
Phantom fingers fumble in the dark
I thought I did, I felt a spark
Are we all one beating heart?
Are we all one beating heart?
Are we all one beating heart?
Are we all one beating heart?
Or are we strangers?
Am I a stranger?
Am I a stranger?
Am I a stranger?
Am I a stranger?
Are we all one beating heart?
The Midnight's song "America Online" emphasizes the importance of connection and intimacy in the digital age. The central theme of the song is the question of whether or not genuine human connection is possible through technological communication. The lyrics highlight the anxieties and uncertainties that people feel when attempting to build relationships through technology. The repetition of the question "if I love you, will you love me?" speaks to the inherent insecurities that come with online communication. The lines "through the wires to the heart / phantom fingers fumble in the dark" evoke the idea of the intangible and meditative nature of online communication. The song is, at its core, an exploration of the human condition in the digital age.
Line by Line Meaning
If I love you, will you love me?
Wondering if love is reciprocated
If I want you, will you want me?
Questioning if desire is mutual
I am reaching, are you reaching out?
Asking if the other party is also trying to connect
If I touch you, will you touch me now?
Questioning if physical contact is acceptable
Through the wires to the heart
Communication through technology
Phantom fingers fumble in the dark
Struggling to make a connection through a technological gap
I thought I did, I felt a spark
Feeling like a connection was made despite the gap
Are we all one beating heart?
Questioning if people in the world are connected
If I hurt you will you hurt me?
Questioning if negative actions will have equal reaction
Or are we strangers?
Asking if personal connections are possible
Am I a stranger?
Questioning if personal identity exists in the modern world
Are we all one beating heart?
Reiterating the main question of the song
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jj1111
Synthwave has literally changed my life... and The Midnight are at the forefront.
alitnk
SAME
Retronauta Autie
The same for me 💓
chocolatewheelchair
How did it change anything about your life?
Peero N
@jj1111 damm bro thats rude, i hope it will teach you kindness soon 😂
have a good one
Mindau
This picture of this old PC hit me very strongly. Watching this song's video, I remembered my childhood. My dad left our family and we had very little money. My mother was writing her PhD thesis. From the university she brought home, written-down old PC, just like this, and used it to write thesis. During my allowed time, I used to play old games on it, like Settlers. That PC was not able to run newer games, but it was just perfect for me. And after we connected to the internet (year 2000), I found mIRC messaging service, where I found many people of my mindset, and this beautiful girl. I was chatting with my distant girlfriend during the nights, we phoned each other, and spent hours together... but we never met in reality... I remember, sending pictures was a bit difficult, because I had to take a picture of myself, using film camera, bring it to the shop to develop a photo, then scan it at my friend's house, and send it through email. I find this beautiful music and pictures hitting me so strong on my nostalgia of simpler, better times. Now I am afraid to check my phone's notifications of all those overwhelming clients and job related stuff.
Adrian Larson
thanks for sharing your beautiful memories🥰
Melcoman440
Perfect song to hear at 3:00 AM while thinking about your life and stuff.
TheGuiltyShow
This music was made for night driving.
It‘s like a switch to a different world. <3
CJZup16
Toke one during