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.
Daytona
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Riding in a drop top, had to put the top down
Bitches used to hate me, they just wanna talk now
Spend a couple racks at the mall when I pop out
G-goth bitch pull up in a black coupe
In her bedroom kissing on her tattoos
You don't like me no one even asked you
Making big bank he still work at fast food
Ring, ring, two phones Motorola
Pass out on the sofa
Fast whip turn this shit to Daytona
I-I-I'm a loner
Ring, ring, two phones Motorola
Pass out on the sofa
Fast whip turn this shit to Daytona
Never said I'm perfect I'm just different from these other guys
Got a lil white bitch and I'm just gripping on her upper thigh
Rest in peace the real I guess I'll see you on the other side
Bad bitch on my snap she use the filter with the butterflies
Price up on my head
I-I-I'm already dead
Think I need a maid
My life is a mess
Used to curve me and now she laying in my bed
ADHD but I ain't ever taking meds
Speaking on my name cause she want me in her mouth
Ain't no country boy, but lil bitch I'm from the sound
I ain't got no friends so it's only me and Clout
I'ma be a star so fuck everyone who doubts
I-I-I'm a loner
Ring, ring, two phones Motorola
Pass out on the sofa
Fast whip turn this shit to Daytona
I-I-I'm a loner
Ring, ring, two phones Motorola
Pass out on the sofa
Fast whip turn this shit to Daytona
The Midnight’s “Daytona” tells the story of coming up from nothingness and making it big despite the haters that once looked down on the singer. The opening lines lament the monotony of school, but then abruptly switches gears to the thrill of being in a “drop top”. The singer boasts of how the same people who once looked down on him, now want to be around him because he has money. The lines about the “goth bitch” suggest that the singer’s success has translated into more romantic attention from a varied pool of people. The image of the bed and tattoos also suggests something inked and permanent–perhaps in contrast to the “fast food” job alluded to later on in the song.
What is clear is that the singer is confident that he has abilities that others don’t– “I’m just different from these other guys.” He also acknowledges that he’s not perfect–“Never said I’m perfect” but implies that he is different by claiming that he is “Already dead.” He is also aware of his ADHD, which he seems to embrace by stating, “ADHD but I ain't ever taking meds.” The final lines of the song suggest that the singer is aware of his detractors and is determined to succeed in spite of them.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting in the classroom, rather be a dropout
I'm not interested in education and wish to drop out of school
Riding in a drop top, had to put the top down
Driving in a convertible car and enjoying the nice weather
Bitches used to hate me, they just wanna talk now
People who disliked me in the past now want to talk to me because of my success
Spend a couple racks at the mall when I pop out
I spend a lot of money when I go out shopping
G-goth bitch pull up in a black coupe
A gothic woman arrives in a black sports car
In her bedroom kissing on her tattoos
Kissing a girl who has tattoos in her bedroom
You don't like me no one even asked you
I don't care if you don't like me, no one asked for your opinion
Making big bank he still work at fast food
Despite having a lot of money, he still works at a fast food restaurant
I-I-I'm a loner
I am someone who prefers to be alone
Ring, ring, two phones Motorola
Referring to owning two Motorola phones
Pass out on the sofa
To fall asleep on the couch
Fast whip turn this shit to Daytona
Driving fast to make it seem like we're racing in Daytona
Never said I'm perfect I'm just different from these other guys
I'm not claiming to be perfect, but I'm unique compared to other men
Got a lil white bitch and I'm just gripping on her upper thigh
I have a white girlfriend and I'm touching her upper thigh
Rest in peace the real I guess I'll see you on the other side
Paying respects to a deceased individual and hoping to see them in the afterlife
Bad bitch on my snap she use the filter with the butterflies
A beautiful girl uses butterfly filter on Snapchat when she sends me pictures
Price up on my head
There's a bounty on my head
I-I-I'm already dead
I feel like I'm already dead because of the pressure and danger
Think I need a maid
My life is a mess and I need someone to clean up after me
Used to curve me and now she laying in my bed
A girl who previously rejected me is now sleeping in my bed
ADHD but I ain't ever taking meds
I have ADHD but I refuse to take medication for it
Speaking on my name cause she want me in her mouth
A girl is talking about me because she wants me to be a part of her life
Ain't no country boy, but lil bitch I'm from the sound
I may not be from the country, but I'm proud of the sound I come from
I ain't got no friends so it's only me and Clout
I don't have any real friends, just the fame and attention I get from my success
I'ma be a star so fuck everyone who doubts
I'm going to become famous and I don't care about anyone who doesn't believe in me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Jacob Howard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheWaynos73
The fact that the Midnight release their albums on cassette speaks to me of their retro commitment on a personal level. Respect.
@SouthernBelleReviews
Do they really? Never CDs? 💽
@TheWaynos73
@@SouthernBelleReviews they have CDs too. But ive never seen them in stores. Endless Summer on ebay was a bit $$ but im sure there must be cheaper copies out there.
@SouthernBelleReviews
@@TheWaynos73 Thank you! I found one album being sold on Amazon but not this one. Definitely $$$ I'm glad I can find something at least!
@simakautas
02:26 starts something out of this world!! This keybord part is freakin awesome!!! Just blows my mind!!! The Midnight - Masters of synthwavegasm!!!!
@channelwithout
This was without a doubt the most underappreciated track on the album. Great synth mixed with a little bit of chiptune flair here and there. I love it!
@Numinor31
? how was this underappreciated?... what made u say that...
@channelwithout
Numinor Well unofficial uploads of it had considerably less views than other songs from the album, so there was that.
@Numinor31
ah i see. true... well, i guess because it doesn't have any vocals? only true underground music lovers dont give a fuck about vocals (unless done relevantly well)
@channelwithout
Numinor There are a lot of instrumental synthwave tracks with millions of views-Miami Nights 1984's classic "Ocean Drive", for example. Synthwave is an ever-growing movement. Hopefully one day it will be taken more seriously as a genre.