The Midnight
American synthwave band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Midnight is an American synthwave band composed of Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Tyler Lyle and Los Angeles–based Danish producer, songwriter, and singer Tim McEwan.[1]
The Midnight | |
|---|---|
_(52061108333).jpg) The Midnight in 2022. From left to right: Tyler Lyle, Royce Whittaker, Tim McEwan, Lelia Broussard, and Justin Klunk. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
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| Website | themidnightofficial |
The band's motto is "mono no aware" (物の哀れ), a Japanese phrase that loosely translates to "a sense of nostalgic wistfulness and the awareness that nothing lasts forever".[2]
History
Summarize
Perspective
2012-2014: Formation and Days of Thunder
The band was formed as a result of Lyle and McEwan meeting during a co-writing workshop in 2012 in North Hollywood, CA.[3][4] Inspired in part by the score for Drive, and the retro synth genre growing around its release,[4] the pair wrote two singles, "WeMoveForward" and "Gloria", that would be released two years later in 2014 as part of their debut EP titled Days of Thunder.[5]
2015-2018: Endless Summer, first remix album, and Nocturnal
In 2016, the duo released a 12 track LP, Endless Summer,[6] followed in 2017 with the release of The Midnight Remixed on the Monstercat label.
Their second studio album, Nocturnal was released in August 2017,[7] which spent several weeks as a best seller on the music distribution website Bandcamp and reached number 17 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic charts in October 2017.[8] The band went on to perform their second sell-out concert, taking place at the Globe Theatre on Broadway in Los Angeles in November 2017.[9]
The band had multiple collaborations with Timecop1983, another retro synth genre producer. One of the collaborations appears on the album Nocturnal, titled "River of Darkness". The other collaboration between them appears on the 2018 album Night Drive of Timecop1983, titled "Static".
2018-2020: Kids, second remix album, and Monsters
The Midnight released their third studio album, Kids on September 21, 2018. The album is the first in a trilogy series that shares similar thematic elements.
In 2019, The Midnight Remixed 02 was released on Monstercat. McEwan also appeared in the documentary film The Rise of the Synths, which explored the origins and growth of the synthwave genre. McEwan appeared alongside various other composers from the scene, including John Carpenter, who also starred in and narrated the film.
During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, The Midnight hosted a remix competition called Remix Radio, providing the stems of multiple songs they had produced on their website for free. On April 3, 2020, the livestream premiered on YouTube for one hour and thirty minutes.
In July 2020, The Midnight released their fourth studio album, Monsters on Counter Records. The album was included on AllMusic's list of the best albums of 2020.[10] The album is a thematic continuation of their previous album Kids, focusing on adolescence, closeness and alienation from the perspective of a teenager.
2020-2023: Horror Show, The Rearview Mirror, Heroes, and first live album
The Midnight first released their second EP, Horror Show in October 2020 exclusively through Amazon Music. The EP was released to all platforms in March 2021. They followed with the collaborative EP, The Rearview Mirror with Magik*Magik Orchestra in July. The EP features reimagined orchestral versions of songs from Endless Summer to commemorate its fifth anniversary.
The Midnight released their fifth studio album, Heroes in September 2022. It is the third and final album in the Kids trilogy which includes songs that are influenced by hair metal bands and heavy metal, specifically Def Leppard and Mutt Lange.[11]
The band released their first live album, Red, White and Bruised: The Midnight Live in September 2023 which featured performances from their Heroes tours.
2024-present: Graphic novel, new label, and sixth studio album
The Midnight announced their first graphic novel, The Midnight: Shadows would be released by Dark Horse Comics in October 2024. The story takes place in the universe of The Midnight and features writer Zack Kaplan working with artists Stephen Thompson, Johnoy Lindsay, and Thiago Rocha.[12]
In 2024, the band announced McEwan would step away from touring to focus on producing new music.[13] The band added drummer Kwesi Robinson to the lineup to fulfill McEwan's role on live drums.
The Midnight made their Ultra Records debut with the single, "Chariot" in September 2024. The band followed with their second single, "Love is an Ocean" in February 2025 from their upcoming sixth studio album.
Personal lives
Tim McEwan's parents are Tom McEwan and Terese Damsholt.[14]
Band members
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Current members
Touring musicians
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Former touring musicians
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Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [15] |
AUS [16] |
UK [17] | ||
| Endless Summer |
|
— | — | — |
| Nocturnal |
|
— | — | — |
| Kids |
|
— | — | — |
| Monsters |
|
134 | 28 | 85 |
| Heroes |
|
167 | 66 | 74 |
Live albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Red, White and Bruised: The Midnight Live |
|
Collaborative albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Midnight Remixed 01 |
|
| The Midnight Remixed 02 |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Days of Thunder |
|
| Horror Show[18] |
|
| The Rearview Mirror (with Magik*Magik)[19] |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Years (Prologue)" | 2014 | Days of Thunder |
| "WeMove Forward" | ||
| "Los Angeles" | ||
| "Endless Summer" | 2016 | Endless Summer |
| "Sunset" | ||
| "Vampires" | ||
| "Crystalline" | 2017 | Nocturnal |
| "River of Darkness" | ||
| "Light Years" | ||
| "Lost Boy" | 2018 | Kids |
| "America 2" | ||
| "Arcade Dreams" | ||
| "Sometimes She Smiles" | 2019 | Vehlinggo Presents: 5 Years |
| "America Online" | Monsters | |
| "Deep Blue" | 2020 | |
| "Dance with Somebody" | ||
| "Prom Night" | ||
| "Cold Pizza" | 2021 | Non-album single |
| "Neon Medusa" | Horror Show | |
| "Good in Red" | ||
| "Ghost in Your Stereo" | ||
| "Change Your Heart or Die" | 2022 | Heroes |
| "Heartbeat" | ||
| "Avalanche" | ||
| "Brooklyn. Friday. Love" | ||
| "Heart Worth Breaking" | ||
| "Land Locked Heart" | 2023 | Road 96: Mile 0 (Video Game Soundtrack) |
| "Chariot" | 2024 | Shadows comic vinyl |
| "Shadows (Redux)" | ||
| "Love Is an Ocean" | 2025 | Non-album single |
Remixes
| Artist | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Tyler Lyle | "Lost & Found (The Midnight Remix)" | March 13, 2016 |
| Drake | "0 to 100 (The Midnight Remix)" | July 2016 |
| Scavenger Hunt | "Never Enough (The Midnight Remix)" | November 8, 2016 |
| ARIZONA | "Oceans Away (The Midnight Remix)" | February 24, 2017 |
| Clubhouse | "Kyra (The Midnight Remix)" | April 10, 2017 |
| Jon Bellion | "80's Films (The Midnight Remix)" | June 25, 2017 |
| The Night Game | "The Outfield (The Midnight Remix)" | April 27, 2018 |
| SYML | "Clean Eyes (The Midnight Remix)" | February 8, 2019 |
| The Ivy | "Missing Out (The Midnight Remix)" | April 21, 2020 |
| Latroit | "Don't Give Up (The Midnight Remix)" | September 25, 2020 |
| Chromeo | "Lost and Found (The Midnight Remix)" | October 4, 2024 |
References
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