New Jersey’s Midland City started putting out records in 2013, so that was at least a decade before people started describing things that weren’t great or even good as mid. We love when people do that, it’s simple, to the point, and makes total sense.
But after spinning the band’s self-titled LP, which came out a few weeks ago via Set The Tone Records, we might use the word mid to describe anything emo that’s also killer and sick.
Across the record, the band’s heavy, emotional sound is somehow always clean, and if you’re an emo, math rock, or post-hardcore lover, you know that’s a special place in our hearts. Much of that of course comes down to deliberate, intentional performance, but there’s also some deft production going on which was actually done by the band’s drummer, not to mention the stellar mastering job from Anthony Aguilar.
As pretty as it all is on the surface, there’s a lot of depth here too from beginning to end. The lyrics and delivery are relentless, and the times they dip into odd meter or more screamo oriented parts feel genuine. As in, it doesn’t even sound like they need to explore, they’re mining their feels and expressing them to the fullest. Of course that’s where the best of all-of-the-above comes from.
The record also gets an instrumental moment as kind of a breather, and it’s actually much needed. Still, it’s a textual, perfectly puzzling affair that offers a lot more than the asking price. If you’re into modern emo and math rock hybrids like No Edits, Loveletting, and Of Two Minds, the odds are high that you’ll have fallen in love with Midland City’s S/T LP by the time it ends.
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