TRACK REVIEW: Middle Kids - Cellophane (Brain)

TRACK REVIEW:

Middle Kids

Cellophane (Brain)

9.2/10

The track, Cellophane (Brain), is available from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkYM1OVa_Xw

GENRE:

Indie Rock

ORIGIN:

Sydney, Australia

The album, Today We’re the Greatest, is available to pre-order via:

https://middlekids.ochre.store/release/217957-middle-kids-today-were-the-greatest

RELEASE DATE:

19th March, 2021

LABEL:

Lucky Number Music Limited

TRACKLISTING:

Bad Neighbours

Cellophane (Brain)

R U 4 Me?

Questions

Lost in Los Angeles

Golden Star

Summer Hill

Some People Stay in Our Hearts Forever

Run with You

I Don’t Care

Stacking Chairs

Today We’re the Greatest

__________

FOR this review…

I am looking at a band who I have been a fan of for a while now. Middle Kids hail from Sydney. I am tipping the magnificent band for big things in 2021. The fact they are based in Australia means that touring is on the agenda a lot sooner than it is here in the U.K. I can only imagine how relieved they are that they get to perform live this year! With their new alum, Today We’re the Greatest, out next month, there is a lot to get excited about. I will come to that album and the song from it that I am reviewing soon. Before then, I want to go back and look at interviews they conducted years ago. There are not that many new-ish interviews, so I will sort of look from 2017 and try and draw as far forward as I can. Just before I get to the first interview, a little introduction is required. Middle Kids consist of Hannah Joy (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Tim Fitz (bass, backing vocals, production) and Harry Day (drums, backing vocals). Since forming in 2016, the band has released the Middle Kids E.P. (2017), the album Lost Friends (2018), and the New Songs for Old Problems E.P. (2019). How did the guys get together? When they spoke with Northern Transmissions in 2017, we learn more about their background:

“NT: You guys have all played music for a while, solo and in bands, but Middle Kids is a pretty new entity…but you’re now on every ‘must watch list’ out there. When did the band officially come to be? How was initial reception?

MK: We got together and began playing under the name around the beginning of 2016. It was cool because when we first released ‘Edge Of Town’ we’d never played a show, I think the song…people seemed to like, but we didn’t have a wide reach at all. We played our first show in July of last year and I think we started feeling like making music in the format and combination was a really good vibe with each other and then also just how the music was being received seemed good. But a lot of industry happy things can make it seem like this is further along than it is, and we’re going on tour because we want to play for actual people and meet people and have them hear the music. You cant really skip that. We definitely consider ourselves a young band and a small band. Its nice to have the publicity but that’s why we’re here, to go and actually play some shows”.

NT: Have you thought or come to grips with music now looking like potentially it could become a career for you guys and not just a passion, whereas maybe a year ago that might not have been the case, have you had that sort of internal conversation yet?

MK: Yeah, it weighs pretty heavily on our minds at the moment because we’re kind of at that point now where if we want that to happen we’ve got to actually go all in. This year will be the biggest year for us in that regard, you know, we’ve all been working part time for the last couple of years as we’ve worked on music but this year…yeah, its getting real, having to quit jobs and sort of put ourselves out there and try and do it. Its super exciting”.

I want to stick on the subject of their earliest days and how they bonded. Apologies if I jump around a bit regarding timeline and subject matter - I am going to keep it fairly focused to start with. If you have not heard Middle Kids, then I would advise you do a bit of digging and research. They are making some big steps now and, so far in their career, they have played some big festivals and prominent gigs. I really love what they do; hence the reason I have included them for review today. I think it is important to learn about the band’s past to give context to their current music.

When they spoke with HAPPY in 2018, they discussed the sound of Lost Friends and how their friendship started and solidified:

“HAPPY: I know you all know each other from way back – had you travelled together before or was that a totally new experience for everyone?

TIM: We’d hadn’t all gone away together, I mean Hannah and I have done some travelling, but not the three of us-

HARRY: We’re not that kind of friends.

TIM: We’re not that kind of friends.

HAPPY: I guess touring is a completely different kind of travel…

HANNAH: Yeah totally. It’s so funny because at first when you start touring, you feel like you’re going on holiday, but then it takes about two seconds to realised you’re not. But I mean it’s still awesome, we’ve got to see all these amazing places, but it’s been pretty full-on.

HAPPY: I’ve had a lot of different feedback from bands about playing festivals like SXSW and The Great Escape. How did you find those experiences?

HANNAH: We really loved them. They’re pretty wild – we played a lot of shows in a very short amount of time, and it’s a sensory overload. There’s so much going on. But I think, particularly the time we did it, it was a very formative time for the band, there was a lot of movement happening, so it was a great time to be playing those festivals because the shows were super vibey.

TIM: And they felt kind of meaningful because our manager would be like “ok, so the booker from so and so festival is here.” And then we’d get booked on that festival just from playing that show.

HAPPY: It’s like a tangible reward for being good.

TIM: Exactly.

HAPPY: I totally didn’t get that vibe listening to it. It’s definitely got this ‘big-studio’ kind of vibe.

HARRY: That’s just a plug-in. The ‘big studio’ plug-in.

TIM: We recorded drums out in an Airbnb. We took our mate Phan who works out of Parliament Studios in Sydney. He’s a wizard so he helped out a lot there. Then we recorded vocals over two days at Parliament. And the rest was in our house.

HAPPY: I love that, because everyone is going to assume you went through the whole ‘first album, big studio, big producer’ thing. Instead you just did it the way you wanted to do it.

HARRY: We tried to do the big studio thing.

TIM: But we just couldn’t be “that band”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Maclay Heriot

Not to labour too much on the formation of Middle Kids, but I love the bond they have in camp and how close they are. I am interested to know how things started and how this incredible chemistry formulated. Even though the members of Middle Kids are different, they seem very much united and of one when they perform. Hannah Joy spoke with Monster Children in 2018 and was asked about the band’s background – in addition to a pretty big gig that they played:

“You all come from such different musical backgrounds and play such an insane amount of instruments—what musical talents of Tim and Harry do you most admire?

I’m envious of so much of Tim. He did a bit of piano growing up but he was so explorative that he doesn’t really follow any rules, and just kind of figures out everything on his own and goes with his gut, he’s a real instinctive player. It’s as if he has absolutely no restraint, just doing whatever which is cool.

Is that quite different to you, because you were classically trained?

When it comes to songwriting I just play whatever I hear, but the boys will start jamming and following each other and as a classical pianist, I’m like ‘No, what’s this for, what’s the structure?’ (laughs). But Harry has this incredible control to his playing that is totally insane”.

And I saw that you played at the Sydney Opera House recently for Vivid Live, how was that? I imagine it’d be a huge achievement for most Australian bands.

Yeah for sure, it was the last night of our Australian tour. Ever since I was really little I would go and see shows there, like operettas and string quartets and chamber music. I won this competition when I was really little and I actually got to perform a song that I wrote when I was 12 at the Opera House”.

For those unaware of the fact Hannah Joy and Tim Fitz are married, I wanted to introduce an interview from Trend Privé from 2017. Some artists who are in a relationship can struggle to reach their potential and very best. It seems that is not the issue with Middle Kids:

“So, I understand that Hannah and Tim are married. How does the relationship between you two effect the songwriting process?

Hannah – That’s interesting. I think its brought a lot more depth to the songwriting, because we share so much space. Then we can kind of work on the songs together in a cool way. And we kind of take turns with the songs, they’re like our little babies. And like, I’ll give it to Tim for a while and then he’ll give it to me.

Tim – We get better writing songs as we get to know each other. Also, as three we’ve been getting to know each other better and becoming better friends, and that helps the songs as well.

You guys wrote edge of town before you formally got together as a band. So how did the song writing process change from that song to now since you’ve added Harry into the mix?

Tim – Well, Harry’s playing drums from the recording so he was there from the first recording, but the songwriting process is pretty similar then to now. In terms of Hannah writes the songs and we get them at a later stage and we work on them. Then we record them. So yeah, we don’t write the songs together, Hannah writes the songs”.

I want to go in a slightly different direction and look at general biography of the band. The reason I am doing this is because the band caught the attention of Sir Elton John. It must be quite amazing having such a prestigious and loved artist being a fan of what you do! In this Under the Radar article, we discover when Elton John came across Middle Kids’ music – they also explain where that band name comes from:

“The band name chosen by Sydney, Australia trio Middle Kids also describes the upbringing of singer Hannah Joy and multi-instrumentalist Tim Fitz. "Tim and I are both middle kids," Joy explains. "I think it's common to find middle kids being a little bit unsure of their place in the family. It's cool, though, because you get a bit of love from both sides and end up having to fight to find who you are."

As a band, Middle Kids, who also include drummer Harry Day, have few reasons to be unsure of themselves, already gathering momentum thanks to their anthemic first single "Edge of Town"—a charming, confident track filled with anticipation, due to Joy's mesmerizing lilt. "'Edge of Town' is a story about the experience of trying to get a hold of your life, or figure out what it means to be a human, and then something happens which makes you realize how little you know or how little control you have over certain things," explains Joy. "It's meant to tap into that anxiety, but it's also meant to give a sense that it's going to be okay and there is actually freedom in not being in control all the time."

The song caught the attention of Sir Elton John, who then played it on his Beats 1 radio show and added it to his Apple Music playlist. "We felt pretty stoked and surprised," says Fitz. "He's one of the greats, so it meant a lot." Middle Kids also caught the ear of iconic indie label Domino, who released the band's self-titled debut EP in February. The six-song EP is a mix of catchy, brooding melodies and haunting, jazz-tinged ballads. Middle Kids fuse modern indie-rock with '70s Fleetwood Mac accents, with Joy's vocals echoing a combination of Stevie Nicks and Courtney Barnett”.

I am looking forward to hearing Middle Kids’ new album. Today We’re the Greatest is definitely going to be among this year’s most interesting and brilliant albums. I am a big fan of Lost Friends. I am going to spend a bit of time with the album and various sides of it. In an interview with Best Before, we discover more about the sound and feel of Lost Friends:

“Middle Kids, along with a handful of other alternative Aussie rock artists, are starting to break through overseas. What do you think it is about the current sound coming out of this country that’s being received so well by international audiences?

I think maybe the Australian music industry is just getting better at marketing or something? There’s always been cool stuff happening in Australia, so maybe it’s just an internet thing. We are super stoked that it is happening though; we love that we get to travel all around playing our tunes to actual fans, it’s madness.

The production on the album is also incredible. What elements do you think Peter Katis most helped spotlight?

Thanks! Well, we had recorded it really raw, mostly at home. Peter Katis— wow, so much respect for that guy— definitely brought a lot of clarity to the songs, and he is a genius at creating moments of pulsing energy and beauty.

Your tracks are sewn together with visceral, emotionally-charged choruses, that still feel raw and intimate when listening through the recordings. How did you work on capturing that in the studio?

It’s raw and intimate in the studio because our studio is our house and it’s just a big mess of cables and instruments and microphones. We just recorded what felt warm and true. A lot of that comes from Hannah’s energy, her songs, the way she writes parts and chooses her guitar tones.

PHOTO CREDIT: Imogen Wilson

One of the things I love about Middle Kids and Lost Friends is the fact they recorded the album themselves. In a great interview with AMNPLIFY, the band talk about recording their own music and what it feels like to have received so much recognition early on:

“First of all, I’ve had a listen to the new album Lost Friends and it’s absolutely beautiful! Do you or any of the other members have any personal favourites off the album?

We each have our favourites – at the moment mine is Tell Me Something. A lot of the record is quite thick in texture with a lot of colours and parts layered on top of each other, so comparatively I find that this song is more sparse and has a lot of space to it. Coming at the back of the record I think it creates a nice moment to breathe. A lot of the sounds we used are quite exposed so only things that were really necessary made it. That groove in the last chorus is also a pretty unique moment on the album as far as the drum parts go and was really fun to record.

You guys wrote and recorded Lost Friends yourselves, much like you did with your debut EP. Is there a reason behind why you guys decided to record the album yourselves?

Mostly it just felt right. We actually tried going into a studio and doing a song all together but it kind of cramped our style and we felt that we’d lost something crucial. We’d never done that before so we didn’t really know how to do it. The EP came together piece by piece and that was what we felt comfortable doing, the songs are all built around Hannah’s voice so they all began with that in a demo form and then the parts were added (or in some cases taken away) one by one till it all sounded right.

You guys have been fortunate enough to achieve so much in a small amount of time, like playing some of the biggest festivals in the world to supporting some of the biggest names in music like Paul Kelly and The War On Drugs. What would say is the biggest highlight for you from the past year and a half?

All of the great artists that we’ve been able to play with other the past 18 months has been a high light for sure, they were all really generous to us and it was very inspiring to get to know them and watch them play. But with our first album about to come out I’ve been thinking about when we recorded that in the middle of last year, and you only get to make your first album once, so that was actually a really special time”.

Before I come to reviewing the new Middle Kids track, Cellophane (Brain), I wanted to bring in a review for Lost Friends. When one is reviewing music, they should never quote from other sources, as it sort of gives your own review less substance and importance. As this is a review for a different album/piece of music, it is providing more context than anything else – were I to quote a review for Cellophane (Brain) then that would be different. I wanted to show how fondly Lost Friends has been received. This is what NME wrote in their review:

“The road is where this album belongs. Its 12 tracks of pummelling, uncompromising indie-rock are perfect for long drives in the boiling summer or night-time journeys in the city. “Wheels on the road, white painted rows/Windscreen wipers on, silent radio,” singer and songwriter Hannah Joy sings on ‘Lost Friends’. Meanwhile, for ‘On My Knees’ we’re stood on the pavement: “I am the second hand, I am a roadside distraction / And they’re looking at me as if I got what they need”. Wherever Middle Kids are going, the listener is bundled into the back of the car too.

Not content with being able to write genuinely brilliant choruses on every song, the band are also able to tackle our everyday nuances and flaws with humour and understanding. ‘Don’t Be Hiding’ offers the group’s finest all-round performance to date, pairing Fleetwood Mac harmonies and riffs with relatable zingers on modern life. “Are you cashed up or struggling with a hole in your pocket?” asks Joy. “If it’s bad then I relate/You should see the junk I spend my money on” – comforting every drunk-eBaying survivor who’s listening along”.

One has some background regarding Middle Kids and how they have evolved. I wanted to, before getting to the song, quote from Sonic PR. We get some information about Cellophane (Brain) and what we can expect from the Today We’re the Greatest album:

“The Sydney-based three-piece Middle Kids (Hannah Joy, Tim Fitz and Harry Day) today release ‘Cellophane (Brain)’ the third single from their hotly anticipated second album, Today We’re The Greatest, out March 19, 2021 via Lucky Number. Premiered by Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, ‘Cellophane (Brain)’ sets a new artistic benchmark for the band, a three-and-a-half minute encapsulation of all the ambition, lyrical scope and musicality packed into their upcoming album. You can pre-order the new album HERE.

‘Cellophane (Brain)’ is a triumph of emotive songwriting. Multi-instrumentalist Tim Fitz has this song in mind when he says “This feels like a move towards a bold and honest sound. When we were recording, we were asking ‘what is the emotion of this sound’ instead of ‘is this a cool sound’? A guitar wailing and breaking up in the distance is emotional because it sounds like an emotion that we’ve all felt.”

Lyrically the song explores a darker and more vulnerable side of the band’s songwriting. Lead singer/songwriter Hannah Joy explains the meaning behind the song;

“I remember making a diorama in primary school for an under-the-ocean scene using cellophane. I loved the way cellophane looked but I hated the way it crunched and creased in my hands. It’s one of those weird things you remember sometimes… I’m not even sure if cellophane is an exact metaphor for my mind but it feels connected to the song for me. When I consciously started taking note of what was going on in my brain it was usually ANXIOUS and NEGATIVE. If my mind is a minefield of fear and sadness, nothing else can shift my overall sense of myself. But to change one’s thinking is incredibly hard. It’s an inner journey with little extrinsic reward or accountability.”

“Cellophane (Brain)’’ follows the release of singles ‘R U 4 ME?’ and ‘Questions’ and was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Lars Stalfors (St. Vincent, Soccer Mommy, Purity Ring). The album Today We’re The Greatest is the uninhibited product of fearless collaboration, a vivid collection of 12 courageous, personal and rattling songs. It follows the release of Middle Kids’ critically acclaimed 2018 debut, Lost Friends, which was awarded Album of the Year by Triple J Radio and was also nominated for Best Rock Album at the ARIA Awards. The record also earned them support slots with the likes of Bloc Party, War on Drugs and Cold War Kids as well as several US TV show performances including Conan, Jimmy Kimmel and The Late, Late Show with James Corden”.

It is about time to get to reviewing Middle Kids’ new track, Cellophane (Brain). I love Hannah Joy’s voice, as she bring so much emotion and gravitas to every song. Cellophane (Brain) starts with some background electronics that blend with some delicate acoustic guitar. I was interested hearing the first verse and trying to unwrap its meaning: “Never quite on time/Running late, running wild/Looking up star signs/Eating apples on the train/I know you say it's alright as you keep it inside/Hey, when did you realise there's no guy with a first prize/Waiting at the end”. The lyrics are really interesting and got me thinking as to their derivation. Whether Joy is reflecting on her own experiences of trust and loss or whether she is directing her words to a friend, I am not too sure. The lyrics are delivered with a lot of emotion and conviction. I was hooked into the song and picturing the lines as they were delivered. Although there is no particular sonic or pace change as we go into the chorus, there is this oblique edge that intrigues me: “Cellophane/You shake, you never change/Cellophane/You're strange up in your brain/Are you afraid/To stop and find the reason/Why you can't get away from it”. Joy injects a lot of movement and passion into the delivery. At various points, her voices rises and elicits something very beautiful and stirring. It is after the chorus that we get a burst from the composition and that awaited shift. One of the things I love about Cellophane (Brain) is the inventiveness and originality of the lyrics. I have gone back a few times and wondered what the story relates to – and whether it is based on real events and observations from Middle Kids. “Moving up the coastline/Making deals, selling houses/Promise of the good life/Compliance teams, bleak routines/Nothing more sad than a man who cries/In his car, in the drivеway/Blue helium light blinking again” is a verse that really sticks in the mind and resonates.

The chorus seems more euphoric and powerful the second time around. We get this real rush and power that emerges. I was really swept up by the chorus and how much of a wave it creates! Even though the composition is quite simple, it manages to evoke a lot of power and nuance. After the swell of the chorus, the bridge arrives – that then leads into a final chorus. It is clear that loss and depression are themes explored through the lyrics…and I wonder who the song’s subject is and what has happened to them. The bridge is a very evocative and curious thing: “You think you're a black umbrella/Holding off the rain/I think you're a silk white kite/Blowing off course again/You think you're a black umbrella/Holding off the rain/I think you're a silk white kite/Blowing off course again”. Before one can digest the words and turn them over, the chorus arrives like a wave. In a way, Cellophane (Brain) has the dynamic of the water being calm and the tide going out - and, before you know it, there is this rush and swell. I have listened to the song a few times and tried to dig deep and discover what may have inspired it. I am not completely sure, but I think that is why the song is so interesting. We have already heard a few tracks from the Today We’re the Greatest album; it is shaping up to be a really rich and varied thing. It has been great reviewing the brilliant Middle Kids. I think they will have a successful year and, as they have gigs planned, it seems like they will be able to get their album out to their fans! If you have not discovered the Sydney band then make sure you check them out. Although they will be able to play in their native Australia this year, let’s hope that we can all…