Most of Middle Kids’ upcoming third record was penned under the shadow of Covid, during which new parents Hannah Joy and her bandmate hubby Tim Fitz (bassist/producer) raised their newborn, Sunny.
In a previous interview with this scribe, Joy poetically revealed that she found songs for Faith Crisis Pt 1 “along the coastline” during solo staycations.
She rented a little beachside apartment in Bondi and, following a bout of writer’s block, Bootleg Firecracker crystalised. This mellow, contemplative lead single also unlocked some more album tracks, ushering in “the new wave” of Middle Kids.
Second single Highlands – “I can’t keep waiting… I need a change…” – is a sweeping jig inspired by Joy’s Scottish ancestry. Nostalgic guitar opens Dramamine, with its cute whistling refrain and elated tempo skipping blissfully along under an infatuated spell: “You are the only reason I believe in anything/ I hope you don’t take this the wrong way…”
At Bend’s conclusion, Joy’s quivering, impassioned vocals repeat, “Maybe you’ve gotta break me to see what I’m made of” – manifesting acceptance that life is flux.
All In My Head feat. Dave Le’aupepe (Gang Of Youths) closes Faith Crisis Pt 1 with a question: “Is it all in my head?” But this piano ballad’s ascending melodies dispense hope rather than paranoia.
The record’s overall sonic palette is vast and echoey – we visualise Julie Andrews twirling around, arms outstretched feeling free AF, on a mountaintop. Feeding parking metres, teetering “one step away from the precipice of crazy”, the world’s general fucked-upness – Faith Crisis Pt 1 searches for meaning and purpose following adversity.
LABEL: EMI
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
