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.
The Midnight
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Running from the law, the path I'm on is endless
The streets are open wide but am I really free?
Got to leave before too long, 'cause they're coming after me
Midnight Ride
I feel my engine is burning
Midnight Ride
I'm spinning out of control
Oh no I'm never returning
Midnight Ride
I'm gonna take it all
Moving fast, sanctuary fuels my need for speed
Wonder if I'll cross the line, then maybe I'll be free
Destination in my sights, Mission; do or die
But now those sirens call and there's nowhere left to hide
Midnight Ride
I feel my engine is burning
Midnight Ride
I'm spinning out of control
Midnight Ride
Oh no I'm never returning
Midnight Ride
I'm gonna take it all
Midnight Ride
I feel my engine is burning
Midnight Ride
I'm spinning out of control
Midnight Ride
Oh no I'm never returning
Midnight Ride
Because I'm taking it all
Midnight Ride
Fire all systems, exploding
Midnight Ride
Living on overload
Midnight Ride
Damnation's wheels are turning
Midnight Ride
I'll stand and never fall on the Midnight Ride
The Midnight's song "The Midnight" appears to be about someone on the run, fleeing from the law in the middle of the night. The lyrics paint a picture of a high-speed chase as the singer speeds down the highway, trying to escape those who are chasing him. The singer wonders if he'll ever be truly free, even if he manages to outrun the law, as they will always be on his tail. The chorus repeats the phrase "Midnight Ride" four times and each time it comes with a declaration of the singer's determination to take control of his situation, no matter how dangerous it may be. The song ends with the singer firing on all cylinders and standing up to face his fate, whatever that may be.
There are many potential interpretations of this song, as it is open to a great deal of personal perspective. One way to think about it is as a metaphor for the pursuit of freedom in a society that is constantly trying to constrain us. The singer may represent someone who is fighting against the system, trying to carve out a space for themselves in a world that is trying to force them to conform. The chorus can be seen as a rallying cry, encouraging people to take control of their lives, no matter how difficult it may be. It is a song about the human spirit and the drive to keep going, no matter what obstacles may stand in our way.
Line by Line Meaning
Dead of night on the highway, wheels turn relentless
It's late at night and I'm driving fast, but can't stop because I know the consequences if I do.
Running from the law, the path I'm on is endless
I'm trying to escape from the police, and this chase will never end.
The streets are open wide but am I really free?
Although the roads are empty, I wonder if I'm actually free or if I'll always be on the run.
Got to leave before too long, 'cause they're coming after me
I have to keep moving because the police are closing in on me.
Midnight Ride
The journey I'm on is in the middle of the night, when it's dark and dangerous.
I feel my engine is burning
My car is working hard and I can feel the intense heat from the engine.
I'm spinning out of control
I'm losing control of my vehicle and the situation as a whole.
Oh no I'm never returning
I know that I can't go back to my old life, that everything has changed.
I'm gonna take it all
I'm determined to keep going and to succeed in my mission, whatever it is.
Moving fast, sanctuary fuels my need for speed
Driving quickly gives me a sense of safety and control, and it's addictive.
Wonder if I'll cross the line, then maybe I'll be free
I'm not sure what the consequences will be if I escape the police, but maybe it will be worth it to feel free.
Destination in my sights, Mission; do or die
I have a specific goal in mind, and I'm willing to risk everything to achieve it.
But now those sirens call and there's nowhere left to hide
The police are getting closer and I can't escape them any longer.
Fire all systems, exploding
I'm pushing my car to the very limit and it feels like it's going to explode any second.
Living on overload
I'm living my life on the edge, always taking risks and pushing myself beyond my limits.
Damnation's wheels are turning
I know that what I'm doing is dangerous and could have serious consequences.
I'll stand and never fall on the Midnight Ride
I'm determined to keep going, even if it means risking everything, and I won't give up.
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Brian Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dhruvbindoria9106
[Verse 1]
I break like glass
You break like waves on the ocean, on the ocean
I tend to crash
And you have to deal with the explosion, though I know that
[Chorus 1]
Everything will always be exactly how it's gonna be
Though I seem to worry every single day
This prodigal turns home again then morning comes and in the end
I see that new sun shining on your face
[Chorus 2]
We begin to bend
We begin to mend
We begin to bend
We begin to mend
[Verse 2]
I sink like stone
You seem to flow above the madness like wings on canvas
And all that I know
Is that I hear the notes through the darkness like a promise
[Chorus 1]
Everything will always be exactly how it’s gonna be
Though I seem to worry every single day
This prodigal turns home again then morning comes and in the end
I see that new sun shining on your face
[Chorus 2]
We begin to bend
We begin to mend
We begin to bend
We begin to mend
[Chorus 2]
We begin to bend
We begin to mend
We begin to bend
We begin to mend
@shaonshariatomi9562
These artists like The Midnight, Kalax, NightTraveller , Shallou take you through time... everytime I listen to these songs I travel back in time 💥
@aresaurelian
No, you travelled into the future in the dreams you had before this existed. And you remember it.
@vasanthemerald
Check out Timecop 1983.
@amalinad8620
I agree 😻😻
@bryonfeliksa3845
@Vasanth Margabandhu I was going to say that too. I haven’t heard of Shallou or NightTraveller though. All the Perturbator songs with Greta Link in them are great too.
@thejass3847
You gave words to my thoughts
@bokyarao873
Discovery of synthwave, and particularly The Midnight, is the most memorable and beautiful thing of my life. This music heals you man!
@bicyclist2
Amen!
@alexanderdavis9636
Fact
@playstationfamnation5286
Gta vice city got me into this music and the 80s. I'm an 80s baby anyways but what a great Era.