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.
Youth
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's in fact a direct reflection of your own imagination
Your own intelligence
And once you're given the freedom in which to create things
And see the immediate response on the screen
Then it becomes a very enjoyable experience
You go on to involve yourself in many other things
Once you start you just can't stop
It's something you can't explain
To the question of, what is all this micro computer
And computer business is going to do to our society
The case is that we are humans
And we are much adaptable to our environment than the computer is to it's own
If you look at society as simply the collective contribution of millions of human beings
Who carrying themselves certain power and influence and emotion
And every time you turn the switch off, of one of those persons, you dampen the globe
It's the fundamental question of whether
The society is going to find a way to make itself as rich and as powerful
And if you will as beautiful, as it potentially it can be
Go on like adventures, you gotta be people
And all of this
It's sort like, an adventure, a big adventure
It's fun
The Midnight's song Youth is a complex reflection on society's relationship with technology, and more specifically, computers. The lyrics begin by describing a computer as an educational device and an extension of our own intelligence and imagination. It suggests that the freedom to create and see immediate responses on a screen makes it an enjoyable experience. The song then delves deeper into the idea that computers are captivating and mesmerizing, something that once you begin using, you cannot stop. It becomes a kind of hypnotic field that's difficult to explain.
However, the song also raises concerns about the impact of technology on society. It asks what all this "micro computer and computer business" is going to do to society. It implies that we, as humans, are much more adaptable to our environment than computers are to theirs. If we define society as the collective power, influence, and emotion of millions of human beings, then every time we "turn off the switch" of one of those people, we dampen the globe. It poses the fundamental question of whether society will find a way to make itself as rich, powerful, and beautiful as it potentially can be.
At its core, the song is about living life to the fullest and enjoying the adventures that come along the way. It suggests that in the end, life is an adventure, and we must be people who go on adventures. The song is a thought-provoking reflection on the beauty and perils of technology and the potential it has to shape our society for better or for worse.
Line by Line Meaning
A computer is an educational device
A computer is not just a device for entertainment or work, it has the potential to educate and enhance your skills and knowledge.
It's in fact a direct reflection of your own imagination
The computer is a tool that can help bring your imagination to life, it's a reflection of your creativity and ideas.
Your own intelligence
Your intelligence plays a big role in how you utilize the computer and its capabilities.
And once you're given the freedom in which to create things
When you have the freedom to create, explore and experiment with the computer, you can discover new things and use your imagination.
And see the immediate response on the screen
The immediate feedback you get from the computer when you create something is satisfying and engaging.
Then it becomes a very enjoyable experience
Working with the computer can be a fun and rewarding experience once you learn how to use it effectively.
You go on to involve yourself in many other things
Once you begin exploring the possibilities of the computer, you may discover new interests and hobbies that relate to it.
It seems to be a very fantastic and hypnotic field
The world of computers is fascinating and mesmerizing, and it draws you in with its endless possibilities.
Once you start you just can't stop
Once you start exploring and working with computers, it can become addictive and it's hard to stop.
It's something you can't explain
The feeling of fascination and addiction towards computers is hard to explain and understand unless you experience it yourself.
To the question of, what is all this micro computer
The question of what micro computers can do for society is often asked.
And computer business is going to do to our society
People question the impact and influence that computers and the tech industry have on society.
The case is that we are humans
Ultimately, humans still hold power and influence over society and technology, rather than the other way around.
And we are much adaptable to our environment than the computer is to it's own
Humans are much more adaptable to their environment and can quickly adjust and learn, whereas computers are limited to their programming and capabilities.
If you look at society as simply the collective contribution of millions of human beings
Society is made up of the collective actions and contributions of millions of individuals.
Who carrying themselves certain power and influence and emotion
Each individual has their own power, influence, and emotions that contribute to society as a whole.
And every time you turn the switch off, of one of those persons, you dampen the globe
Every person has the ability to contribute to society and by removing one person, even temporarily, you affect the entire world.
It's the fundamental question of whether
It's important to ask the question of whether or not society will continue to progress and improve itself.
The society is going to find a way to make itself as rich and as powerful
Society has the potential to become rich, powerful and beautiful if it continues to evolve and improve.
And if you will as beautiful, as it potentially it can be
Society has the potential to be beautiful in terms of its culture, art, and ideals.
Go on like adventures, you gotta be people
Life is an adventure and it's important to live it fully by being yourself and embracing new experiences.
And all of this
All of these experiences and adventures lead to a meaningful and fulfilling life.
It's sort like, an adventure, a big adventure
Working with computers and living life on your own terms is an exciting and fulfilling adventure.
It's fun
Ultimately, life should be enjoyed, and working with computers and exploring new possibilities can be a fun and rewarding experience.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Tyler Lyle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tayo
on The Equalizer - Not Alone
A very good music can you make some new songs then we will give your channel 24700 subscriber I promise