Mid-American –“Shadow”

MP3: || Shadow ||

Back in March of 2010, I posted about the young Indiana band Mid-American and their first release, Fake Homes.  Now some two years later, after a successful Kickstarter, Mid-American has come back with the release of their self-titled debut album.  Their early sound was impressive for such a young band, but the group has expanded into a bigger and appropriately dense sound for Mid-American.  The second track, “Shadow,” is a crazy-catchy bubblegum-pop ode filled with foot-tapping build-ups and an infectious bell line that you won’t forget for days.  Mid-American’s uniqueness comes from a variety of new and familiar sounds including a touch of Radiohead’s remoteness (“The King of Nowhere”), big percussive aesthetics (“The Clearing”), their sheer ability to capture a melody (“Shadow”). and a minute-and-a-half instrumental interlude that proves to be one of the best tracks on the album (“Taijasa”).  All of this paired with frontman Phil Johnson’s sentimental voice alongside his powerful lyrics of confusion and loss makes for a rousing debut from this Indiana group.  Mid-American is out now digitally on their Bandcamp, with preorders for the album on vinyl and CD.