The Midnight Concludes Trilogy With New Album “Heroes”

Written by Zoe Tevyaw, Photo by Raph_PH

The Midnight, composed of Tyler Lyle and Tim McEwan, released their fifth studio album Heroes last month as the third and final installment in an LP trilogy. It was introduced with Kids (2018) and followed by Monsters (2020). Exploring self-discovery, Lyle describes the thematic progression begun in Kids – which hit #1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic chart – with “self-knowledge,” elaborated on it in Monsters with ideas of “self-love,” and capped it off with Heroes as the process of learning empathy. Each of these records stand well on their own as self-contained coming of age stories, but when considered as part of a larger whole, the project is elevated to a more satisfying and thought-provoking listening experience.

“The world doesn’t get better, but we do.” This is the sentiment described by Lyle as a central idea in Heroes. The songs tell a clear story, whereby the character developed in Kids and Monsters sets out for the city, finds love, and ultimately loses it while maintaining that which he has discovered about himself in the process. 

The first released single “Change Your Heart or Die” dives right into the action of that growth, reflecting on the impossibility of living without change despite what an uphill battle it may be. Intense, driving instrumentals combine the band’s more predictable synth effects with classic rock gimmicks to create a track reminiscent of 80s glam metal. Asking the question “how will you survive?” with suspenseful pause in the chorus, the only response given by The Midnight is to “change your heart or die,” an attitude discovered and developed about halfway through the record. 

The opening half of the record represents the initial excitement that many NYC-bound young adults possess. Establishing the foundation for the central relationship, these tracks quickly set the album’s sound apart from The Midnight’s past projects, integrating their staple synthwave strategies into a more alt-rock sound while still keeping the strong 80s vibe previously mentioned. Both “Heartbeat” and “Brooklyn. Friday. Love.” were released as singles leading up to the album, released in June and August respectively. “Heartbeat” provides an incredibly uplifting mentality, stating that “there is love enough for you and me,” with instrumentation that feels very familiar to Van Halen’s “Jump,” combining to give the ‘anthem song’ of the record. “Brooklyn. Friday. Love.” is similarly optimistic if not more of a party song, having been released with a fun music video in which a young woman gets a whole bar up and dancing to her karaoke rendition.

The back half of the record is driven home with The Midnight’s more signature nostalgic and retrospective sheen, contrasting the new sounds developed throughout, that reflects the transition undergone in the middle tracks of the album. “Avalanche,” the third released single, touches on the same romantic relationship as earlier songs “Loved By You” and “Aerostar,” but with the sense of looking back fondly: “Sail on in my memory, I’ll wave from the shoreline.” 

The penultimate songs “Souvenir” and “Photograph” break the tension between the synthwave and alt rock energies that push against each other throughout the story’s progression, finally reaching a sonic balance as the lyrics reach a sense of satisfaction and contentment. The final song, “Energy Never Dies, It Just Transforms,” is a poignant instrumental piece that offers audiences the chance to reflect on what they’ve listened to and provides a powerful musical conclusion to the Kids/Monsters/Heroes storyline. Without words, the track seems to convey the second half of Lyle’s sentiment mentioned earlier: “The world doesn’t get better, we do. We grow into ourselves. We grow into our voice.”

The Midnight is currently on their Heroes Tour to promote the new album, which is available to listen to on all streaming platforms and can be bought on vinyl, CD, and cassette.