Monsters＜Purple Splatter Vinyl/数量限定盤＞

史上最涼にブリージンなEDM爆誕!
踊るベッドルームAORの新鋭THE MIDNIGHT『Monsters』がパープル・スプラッター・ヴァイナルでリプレス!

AORの清涼感とローファイ・ヒップホップのメランコリアを内包した音楽性がネット上でカルト的人気を誇るTyler LyleとTimMcEwanによるEDMデュオThe Midnightが待望の最新アルバムをリリース!!
Billboardのエレクトロニック・チャートで1位を獲得した前作『Kids』から2年ぶりのオリジナル・アルバムとなる本作は、真夜中のオンライン・ユーザーのオアシスとしてすでに人気を博すディープなヴォコーダー・ハウス「America Online」や80sなメロディーとテクスチャーをエピックなシンセ・リフがビルドアップし、むせび泣くサックスが強力なフックとして陣取る「Deep Blue」といった先行シングルを含む全15曲を収録。
すでに欧米ではタンブラー・ゴス、コスプレイヤーといったティーンエイジャーからさらにはその親の世代まで中毒者が続出している新感覚EDM!!

The second full-length album from the Midnight, 2020s Monsters, finds the electronic duo of singer/instrumentalist Tyler Lyle and instrumentalist/producer Tim McEwan continuing to develop their DayGlo 80s pop aesthetic. Its a sound that brings to mind the cool synth pop of Giorgio Moroder while sitting nicely alongside the work of contemporary acts like M83, Daft Punk, and St. Lucia. While clubby electronic traditions are at the core of the duos sound, rather than offering hyperkinetic dance tracks, the Midnight take a more measured approach, crafting hypnotic anthems pitched at the speed of neon-tinted paint dripping down a flat white canvas. Cuts like Dance with Somebody, Seventeen, and Prom Night arrive with just as much synthy, pastel longing as their 80s teen romance titles imply. Equally evocative are tracks like Deep Blue and Night Skies, their shimmering, analog keyboards and pulsing, slow-burn grooves conjuring John Carpenters horror movie soundtracks. Similarly, we also get several instrumental tracks, including The Search for Ecco and the wryly named America Online, that recall the classic 80s film soundtrack work of Tangerine Dream. Also moving are Brooklyn and the album-ending Last Train, yearning, midtempo songs that wouldnt sound out of place on a classic Mr. Mister or Bruce Hornsby album. Part of what makes the Midnights brand of synth-wave so compelling is their choice to mix organic instruments like guitars and percussion alongside fuzzy analog keyboards and more computerized digital sounds. They also take the time to write emotive lyrics, not to mention memorable hooks that lend an intimate, heartfelt gravitas to even their most buoyant pop moments. Although Monsters certainly benefits from its shiny, 80s-inspired surface, the Midnight have made an album that glows with a deeper warmth. ~ Matt Collar

LAを拠点に自主リリースを続けてきたデュオの通算3作目が、近年の急成長も著しいカウンターから到着。持ち味である80s感溢れたエモいメロディーとドリーミーなシンセ使いに磨きをかけた本作では、先行カットとなった壮大なスケールのヴォコーダー・ディスコ"America Online"や随所に差し込まれるまさかのサックス・ソロが強烈に耳に残る"Deep Blue"など、完全に振り切った模様で◎。
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