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.
City Dreams
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can choose from our Hunter's Clothing Collection
An array of fashion all-plaid, sweaters and shirts
All unlimited styles and colors
For that sporty look we have a great selection of
(?) Tops
(?) Decorated jeans
We also have a terrific selection of
Seventeen, seventeen
City dreams, city dreams
Seventeen, seventeen
City dreams, city dreams
Seventeen, seventeen
City dreams, city dreams
Interpretation:
"Clothing Collection" seems to imply that these lyrics are referencing some sort of commercial, advertisement, or perhaps even a fashion show. The first few lines make references to various pieces of clothing, particularly plaids, sweaters, and shirts, which reinforces the idea of fashion marketing. But the repetition of "Fantastic fall fashion" seems to suggest that the hyperbolic nature of fashion marketing is being lampooned or satirized. This is further supported by the reference to "unlimited styles and colors," which sounds like something that would be said in a cheesy infomercial.
As for the repeated refrain of "Seventeen, seventeen / City dreams, city dreams," it's hard to say what it means without more context. At face value, it could simply be a catchy chorus that is meant to be memorable and easy to sing along to. However, there could be deeper meanings at play. The reference to "city dreams" might suggest a desire for escape or a romanticized vision of urban life. The number seventeen could symbolize youth or the coming-of-age experience.
Overall, the lyrics to "City Dreams" seem to be a blend of commercialism and youthful optimism, with a hint of skepticism lurking beneath the surface.
Line by Line Meaning
Fantastic fall fashion (?)
We have an amazing collection of clothing for the fall season, but the specific details are not mentioned.
You can choose from our Hunter's Clothing Collection
Our collection of clothing is called Hunter's Clothing Collection, and you have the freedom to choose from it.
An array of fashion all-plaid, sweaters and shirts
Our collection consists of various clothing options such as plaid, sweaters, and shirts with different designs and colors.
All unlimited styles and colors
Our collection offers an infinite number of styles and colors to fit your preferences.
For that sporty look we have a great selection of (?) Tops
If you're going for a sporty look, we have a great selection of tops for you, but the specific details are not mentioned.
(?) Decorated jeans
We also have decorated jeans, but the specific details are not mentioned.
We also have a terrific selection of Girl's sweaters and fleece jackets to choose from
For girls, we have a wonderful selection of sweaters and fleece jackets with different designs and colors.
Seventeen, seventeen
This line is repeated to emphasize the number and to set the mood for the song.
City dreams, city dreams
The singer is dreaming about the city and all the possibilities it holds.
Seventeen, seventeen
This line is repeated again to reinforce the mood.
City dreams, city dreams
The singer is still dreaming about the city and what it has to offer.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Tim McEwan, Tyler Lyle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pacartwright86
Their albums would not be complete without these incredible interludes...
SmeiskAudio
Seems like this track symbolizes a mangled, broken, overplayed dream and the pain that twists an innocent hurting heart along with it. We even hear the backing track to "Seventeen" here. Very fitting, as the last track is the Last Train. I love the Midnight so much.
9eCn3
I know this is meant to be an interlude and there's a good reason why it's only two minutes, but I wish they'd make a longer instrumental out of this melody. It's so wistful and melancholic.
Ben Dover
They did It's seventeen
fated2pretend
For being an interlude, this totally grabs me and is one of my favorite parts of this album.
Sahaf Hussain
The Midnight is the Only thing that keeps me going I swear,somehow their music is touching my Soul.I thank YouTube recommendations for Introdicing me to Lost Boy a few years Back
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ
I hope you get to be doing better soon man. I was in a rut myself when i found them and I'm just now hopefully about to come out of it. Keep going, there is happiness to be found.
Autumn Phillips
I so agree there music is my soul i can close my eyes and just time travel back to bad I can’t for real...
Ben Dover
Fully agree, i hope you are all doing well 🤞love from England ✌️👍
Gabe's_space
Pure 80s magic❤