Monsters - The Midnight
Genre: Synthwave
In short: "emotive, cozy, feel-good retro synthwave"
Genre: Synthwave
In short: "emotive, cozy, feel-good retro synthwave"
Rating: 89
Cohesiveness: 82
Track quality: 85
Tags:
Beginner-friendly? for sure
To be honest, "Monsters" feels more like a cozy night-time story rather than a piece of music.
The Midnight never miss. Never. And "Monsters" is simply an extrapolation of that. The duo present a slab of reality long forgotten, a slice of time well spent and well past, now almost a dream or a haze. Captivating synths and sweeping vocals embody a certain special nostalgic quality, nostalgic for the memories and the music, harking back to the days of retro synthwave bands and simple romance. That, in essence, is what "Monsters" is about—a simple, idealized romance that's far too easy to get lost in, and far too difficult to overlook. But The Midnight does it one better; they are able to elevate their atmosphere to such a great extent that it transcends all cheesiness, all generic tropes, and what we're left with is pristine. In the technical aspects, the duo does what they do best. Tyler's voice paints masterful strokes with a fantastic lyrical palette, complementing the mood the retro synthwave production provides, enabling an immersiveness that cannot be understated; The Midnight seem to have suddenly developed an uncanny ability to craft beautiful, moving soundscapes that ebb and flow, and honestly, I'm here for it. "Monsters" is wonderfully dark, in a sense, not the typical 'spooky' kind of dark you might have first thought about, but more of a quiet dark—the kind of dark you might find in a dimly lit, secluded backstreet, or a quiet bedroom in the middle of the night. It's the kind of silent dark you'll find in a peaceful corner of your mind lying in bed, the kind you'll find when romanticizing the future or contemplating the present. And to capture that; now that is impressive. And yet, The Midnight, with a few synths, a guitar and a sax, and some exemplary vocals, have captured it in a 15-track synthwave album. Nobody else could do it, not to this degree.
"Monsters" excels best as a mood album. It sounds incredible when you're in the mood for it, but that does come with the added con of sounding rather flat when you're not in the mood for it. And some sections can be a little bit of a drag to get through. But don't let that detract from the elegance, emotion and synthwork of the record.
| Name | Comments | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 (intro) | Simple intro with old-school cassette tape vibes, does its job nicely with a transition | Structural |
| America Online | Immaculate synthwave sound design with a cool, almost robotic mixing effect on the vocals | Standout |
| Dance With Somebody | Super catchy, super carefree song with no regrets and a very nice drop effect | Catchy |
| Seventeen | A little weaker, but more easygoing with drawn-out vocal sections and a neat guitar | Emotive |
| Dream Away | Almost tropical vibe with an interesting, somewhat vocal-based lead that instills some dreamy energy of a faraway stray thought | Switchup |
| The Search for Ecco | No vocals, but the layered sound design makes way for a chiller, more thoughtful sound that builds on itself | Laid-back |
| Prom Night | Slightly cheesy on every level but the synths are synthing and the vocals are majestic | Standout |
| Fire In The Sky | Highly impactful drops with a great lyrical fire motif—feels a little more hard-hitting and experimental | Standout |
| Monsters | Pure captivating synths, especially in the drops, with a very well-done vocal duet | Melodic |
| Helvetica | Pulsing, warm sound design with clever layering and progression and an intruiging tempo change | Laid-back |
| Brooklyn | Slow and introspective, with masterful lyricism that drives the track and gives it memorability | Emotive |
| Deep Blue | Faster cut that increases the pacing with smooth flow, great vocal tonality, complementing production and a crazy sax in the drop | Switchup |
| Night Skies | The weird faraway vocal effect grabs your attention, the leads and the songwriting keep your attention | Standout |
| City Dreams (interlude) | Interlude that's a bit of a nothingburger but has a nice little easter egg reference to "Seventeen" | Structural |
| Last Train | Held-back finale with pleasing vocals, consistent production, and it just overall feels like it has a lull to it | Emotive |