Melbourne’s MID CITY, who have gained an impressive following in recent years for their soaring melodies and brilliantly crafted hits of indie rock, have revealed their highly anticipated debut album, 'Happy Ever After'.
Their music punches to the heart, driven by Joel Griffith’s impassioned vocals and bolstered by expertly arranged and executed rhythms and riffs, elevating their output with each release. The last few years have seen the four-piece define their sound across two EPs and more recently, a string of strong singles that have been hungrily embraced by their dedicated fan base and industry alike.
With the release of their much anticipated debut album, fittingly titled 'Happy Ever After', the band have shared eleven songs of euphoria, mixed with experiences of life lived on the road and the backdrop of a chaotic run of years. In true form, 'Happy Ever After' arrives as the perfect depiction of MID CITY as a group, heading into their biggest creative phase yet.
Featuring previously released tracks including ‘Change Your Mind’, ‘Emily’, ‘Compromise’ and ‘Choc Mint’, 'Happy Ever After' thrives in each rush of chorus; each instrumental swell that wraps itself around Griffiths’ vocal range. Lead single, ‘Happy Ever After’ proves to be the perfect jump off point for the album; indeed, as a title track, this single is one of the album’s strongest strides forward for MiID CITY, even if it took them literally years to write.
Though recorded in Melbourne at the studio of Greg Rietwyk (Press Club), much of the album material was born out of ideas MID CITY had generated while on the road touring through Europe. Speaking about the album, the band added, “‘Happy Ever After’ took us, no joke, three years to write. It was a demo that was kicking around in 17 different versions and we just couldn't crack it. It wasn't until we completely rethought what a MID CITY song could be that it came together; when it did finally come together it gave us all a feeling that we’ve never quite had before from creating music."
"It has become the flag bearer for the whole album. In a funny kind of poetic way it sums up so much of what the band has been for us - always struggling and striving and hoping we can break out of our own situations and make something worth all of that. Now just to make it a rallying cry for fans as it has for us in making this album!”
The music itself, built on a foundation of big, emotional energy, does have room for space and nuance. Songs like ‘Lover Again’ allow room to breathe; an interlude like ‘Idyll’ gives a well-timed pause before opening up into more vibrant indie rock on ‘Strangers’, straight after.
For fans of bands like Press Club, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes or Trophy Eyes, the cathartic punch MID CITY brings on this album makes 'Happy Ever After' such an addictive listen.
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