Quite often music is a way to escape sadness. In a world where our news feeds are flooded with fear, angst and potential terrorism, many musicians are resisting heartbreak by creating sounds full of light glittery rainbows. Mid Ayr are not following that trend. The Brisbane three piece, driven by singer songwriter Hugh Middleton, is choosing to look at heartbreak directly in the eye…and then give it the finger.
Honesty goes a long way in music – something championed by Mid Ayr through channels of dark, emotive rock ‘n’ roll and some very interesting film clips.
Emotional and honest, Middleton moulds small envelopes of intense indie pop with help from Alex L’Estrange on bass and Zac Moynihan on drums. Formerly a guitarist in Brisbane’s The Trouble with Templeton, Middleton started writing and recording solo stuff while touring with his former band. He hooked up with Moynihan at a zoo (what a story) and closely collaborated with L’Estrange through the producers’ own project, My Own Pet Radio (fronted by Ball Park Music‘s Sam Cromack).
They’ve got an eclectic mix of influences, from the Bright Eyes and Jeff Buckley to the Flaming Lips. They’ve toured with E^ST, Avaberee and Aquila Young, and are pretty well know for their intimate and emotional live gigs.
Mid Ayr have been getting lots of love on the triple J circuit, with their latest single Letting You In getting a sneaky premiere on Dom Alessio’s Home & Hosed and frequently popping up on the drive home. The track is a dark, echoey tune that sounds like Middleton has opened up his diary from a breakup and sung you the first few pages. The vocals are reminiscent of Muse, but with a subtle gentleness of Bon Iver, a stark clash that is somehow endearing.
The film clip for Letting You In is bloody beautiful too. Named ‘Indie Clip of the Week’ on Rage, it somehow turns 2 puppets and a small tube of Colgate into an emotional journey of heartache, potential suicide and substance abuse. Watch it and try not to cry.
The band is set to release their debut EP early 2016. In the meantime, hop over to their Bandcamp and have a listen to their two tracks of offer.
My Mayhem is a sweet acoustic gem in the vein of emotive, nuanced Aussie artists like #1 Dads. Recorded solo at Middleton’s home, the intimate track got over 400,000 Soundcloud hits within a couple of weeks. It’s a nice song to listen to when there’s clouds in the sky and you’ve got to wear a big jacket, and you feel like not talking to anyone and thinking about people who used to be in your life; the kind of music that would sit nicely on the soundtrack of a Sofie Coppola film. I only hope they release more soon.
