On Friday The Midnight announced the release of a new album, entitled Syndicate, coming out via Ultra Records (Sony) on Oct. 3 and featuring collaborations with the likes of Carpenter Brut, Bonnie McKee, and more. From what we’ve heard so far — the singles “Chariot,” “Love Is an Ocean,” “Digital Dreams,” and “Shadowverse” — it sure seems to be a brilliant blend of contemporary electronic music and the band’s classic interpretation of synthwave. (You can pre-order the “Earth-Standard” variant of the vinyl now. Not a physical media person? Presave it instead.)
Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle (and friends) have been working on the album for a few years, with McEwan largely withdrawing from live shows to focus on making new music. (On that note, The Midnight are touring the UK and Europe next month. Some shows are still available.) Notably, Syndicate sports a killer lineup of collaborators. They are, according to the liner notes: Bonnie McKee, NEST Acoustics, Oliver McEwan (Tim’s brother), Sunglasses Kid, Jupiter Winter (practically members of the band), MNDR, Dan The Automator (?!), Watch Out For Snakes, Carpenter Brut, J3P0, and Thomas Edinger. That’s right friends, there’s a Carpenter Brut collab on here.
The Midnight’s Syndicate: Vinyl Art and Tracklisting
Tracklist
- Syndicate (Intro)
- Shadowverse
- Runaways (feat. Bonnie McKee)
- Friction
- The Right Way
- Afterglow Pt. 1
- Digital Dreams
- Sentinels
- Chariot
- First Night in Paris (feat. Carpenter Brut)
- Afterglow Pt. 2
- Fatal Obsession (feat. Jupiter Winter)
- Quiet Earth
- Long Island
- Love Is an Ocean
- Sanctuary
- Summer’s Ending Soon
More Singles from The Midnight’s Syndicate
I shared “Shadowverse” above. Here are the other three, for your listening pleasure.
That’s all the info I have for now, but I’m sure I’ll get more as time unfolds. Oh! There’s some sick album-related merch available. If history is any guide, this product moves fast.
Vehlinggo’s Interviews with The Midnight
Lyle and McEwan have graced these pages plenty over the past many years. This trove includes a few interviews. Most recently, it was to do a deep dive into the Dark Horse graphic novel based on them. Before that it was to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Endless Summer. Preceding that was an interview during the COVID-19 fundraiser I hosted for them over livestream in 2020. And then there was that time nearly eight years ago, when we revisited the past.
Editorial Disclosure: Vehlinggo has released a song by The Midnight in the past, although I don’t take such a thing into account when considering the quality of their work for a review.
