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.
Endless summer
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The innocence fades and the weak become stronger
Should have known at the end of the summer
I'd be lost without you
The skyline looked like a stained glass window
The city sang such mad crescendo
Four bare feet on a rain soaked street
Disappeared in a camera flash
Why do the bad girls never last
Lost in gin and lemonade
Elecrospins and the mermaid parade
Four quartets and no regrets
Except for the polaroids I left
You were just some spell i was under
That endless summer
The Midnight's song "Endless Summer" is a poignant and nostalgic reflection on the fleeting nature of youth and the power of nostalgia. The lyrics speak to the moment of transition between youth and adulthood, as the singer looks back on the innocence of the summer and realizes that everything has changed. The sense of loss and regret is palpable, as the singer realizes that the people and experiences that defined that time are gone forever.
In the first verse, the singer reflects on the fact that the end of summer brings with it a loss of innocence and a shift in power dynamics. The strong become even stronger as the weak fade away, and the singer realizes too late the value of the people who have left. In the second verse, the singer paints a vivid picture of the summer landscape, capturing the beauty and chaos of the city in a few well-chosen phrases. The images of rain-soaked streets and fever dreams lend the lyrics a dreamlike quality, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of the experience.
The final lines of the song are particularly poignant, as the singer laments the fact that the summer and all the memories it holds are now gone forever. The sense of longing and regret is palpable, as the singer realizes that the moment has passed and can never be recaptured. In this way, the song is a powerful expression of the human experience of nostalgia, and the ways in which we hold onto memories of the past even as we move forward into the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Should have known at the end of summer
I knew that summer was coming to an end
The innocence fades and the weak become stronger
The carefree nature of summer fades and those who may have been weak in the beginning are now stronger
Should have known at the end of the summer
I knew that the end of the summer would come
I'd be lost without you
I would feel lost if I didn't have you with me
The skyline looked like a stained glass window
The sky looked so beautiful and vibrant, like a stained glass window
The city sang such mad crescendo
The city was alive with a wild frenzied energy
Four bare feet on a rain soaked street
We walked together on a wet street with our bare feet exposed
Summer airbrushed fever dreams
The summer felt like a dream that was painted over with a brush, such a fleeting memory
Disappeared in a camera flash
The moment was gone in an instant, it felt like it went by in a flash
Why do the bad girls never last
I wonder why the girls who may not have the best intentions don't last
Lost in gin and lemonade
We got lost in the blurry haze of drinking gin and lemonade together
Elecrospins and the mermaid parade
The electrifying sensations of the summer were like the brightly lit mermaid parade
Four quartets and no regrets
We were together for four quarters of a year and have no regrets
Except for the polaroids I left
Except for the polaroids I left behind, to remember the moments we shared
You were just some spell i was under
You had this magical hold on me that I couldn't resist
That endless summer
That summer felt like it would last forever, but in reality, it was so brief
Contributed by Elizabeth H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Julie
Should have known at the end of summer
The innocence fades and the weak become stronger
Should have known at the end of the summer
I'd be lost without you
The skyline looked like a stained glass window
The city sang such mad crescendo
Four bare feet on a rain soaked street
Summer airbrushed fever dreams
Disappeared in a camera flash
Why do the bad girls never last
Lost in gin and lemonade
Elecrospins and the mermaid parade
Four quartets and no regrets
Except for the polaroids I left
You were just some spell i was under
That endless summer
VCA72
I was born in 1972, grew up in the 1980's. Most of the best years, best memories of my life are from that magical decade. Even those older than me (parents age) agree. The 80's is a past that still feels like it's in the future. The 80's feels new even 35-40 years on. The 80's makes me feel young, it makes me look forward to years in life I no longer have in front of me. It makes me miss a girl that I've never met. It makes me believe in a future that's already passed me by. It's the impossible dream that still feels within reach.....
David H
Who was born in 72 Will aleays inlove of 80's and 90's decade.....it's represent our BEST years, Young, all life to reach our dreams.......but still we are Young to reach it
Gary S
74 here
A E
73 here
MD Classics
Well said😢
Guillaume Diemand
So true ....
Aesthetic Yatsura
I remember the first time I listened to this album in full; I was driving alone out of Las Vegas after visiting family, and was on my way back home to San Diego, the sun was setting over Death Valley as this song played. I just had positive vibes and high hopes during the long and tiring trip as this album, as well as FM-84'S Atlas, helped make it better..
From seeing the desert turn to mountains, and the mountains turn to valleys, and the valleys turn to the ocean lit by the full moon setting on the western horizon, and just having this music playing during the whole trip..
Good experience. Good times..
Barry Allen
@Aesthetic Yatsura that's like the most perfect description of this song
Robert Salas
Oooohhh mystical
q q
Cherish good memories