The Midnight

Awash in the slinky pastel-hued pop of the 1980s, retro-synthwave duo the Midnight emerged out of Los Angeles in the mid-2000s alongside the similarly minded revivalists FM-84 and Dutch act Timecop1983. They garnered buzz with their 2016 debut, Endless Summer, before becoming best-sellers on the Bandcamp platform with their 2017 EP Nocturnal — eventually notching a number 17 ranking on Billboard’s dance/electronic chart later that year. Along cracking the Top 20 of the dance/electronic chart with both 2018′s Kids and 2020′s Monsters, the Midnight have continued to expand their sound, putting together a full ensemble for 2022′s Heroes. The Midnight features American singer Tyler Lyle and Danish producer Tim McEwan. The two met in Hollywood in 2012 at a co-writing workshop and connected over a mutual love for retro ’80s soft rock and synth pop, and the soundtrack to the 2011 film Drive. Lyle, a Georgia-bred singer/songwriter with ties to country music, largely handled the vocals, while the Danish-born, L.A.-based McEwan acted as producer in the collaboration. Beginning with 2014′s six-song Days of Thunder LP, the Midnight’s music was characterized by bright, pulsing synth pop with sizzling electric guitar flourishes and smooth sax solos underscoring Lyle’s earnest tenor vocals. Their 2016 full-length debut, Endless Summer, followed in a similarly neon-nostalgic fashion and, like their debut, received a second release containing instrumental versions of the songs. Released in October 2017, the Nocturnal EP rose to the best-seller rank on Bandcamp and jumped onto the Billboard dance/electronic chart, just as the band began playing their first live shows. The duo’s sophomore full-length, Kids, arrived in 2018. Inspired by the show Stranger Things, it found the group shifting somewhat away from their neon-noir style and embracing a more upbeat vibe. It hit number 12 on the dance/electronic chart. Heralded by the singles “America Online” and “Deep Blue,” Monsters arrived in July 2020 and again featured a blend of ’80s-inspired synth pop and Blade Runner-esque neon atmosphere. It also fared well, reaching number three on the dance/electronic albums chart and landing on the Billboard 200. Following the 2021 EPs Horror Show and The Rearview Mirror, the Midnight returned with their fourth full-length, 2022′s Heroes. The album found the duo having fleshed out their lineup into a full band, both for the recording and live shows. It also marked the completion of a trilogy that included 2018′s Kids and 2020′s Monsters. ~ Timothy Monger