After the success of their first four singles, today marks a major milestone for Nottingham based five-piece Midnight Rodeo, with their debut LP, Chaos Era. A group of tight-knit friends, for Maddy Chamberlain (vocals, tambourine), Jim McBride (guitar, vocals), Harry Taylor(bass), Ferg Moran (drums), and Sam Potts (keys, synths) the creation of Chaos Era was a form of escapism during a difficult period in their personal lives.
Midnight Rodeo shares the following about Chaos Era:
‘’Thematically, there’s nothing political or social to it. It’s an introspective collection of songs, joyous escapism as an act of resistance, which I suppose is our own comment on how we feel about society and culture. Incidentally, we touch on themes like fetishizing toxic work culture, ego within the music industry, and there are empowering feminist themes about reclaiming your power in songs like ‘El Medina’, but it’s really just us incidentally passing through social relevance on the way to something else. We wanted to make something timeless rather than topical.”
Meeting back in the summer of 2021, Midnight Rodeo are clearly a band confident in their sonic identity and unafraid to explore its edges. All eleven tracks showcase a variation upon their ‘psychedelic surf-rock meet psych-pop sound’ that keeps the LP both cohesive and engaging.
While the band have had a host of different genres and artists used to frame their style, two stood out to me particularly on my first listen. Chaos Era echoes the disco-inflected drive, sultry vocals and danceable yet gritty grooves of Blondie, while also nodding to Khruangbin’s globally inspired rhythms, psych-surf textures, and dub inspired basslines. It’s perhaps an unexpected yet fascinating combination, with the band the band embracing their eclectic influences in their own descriptions:
There are a lot of different influences but a lot of crossover, especially soul, French pop, West Coast Surf/psych & garage. We just love big tunes, drives back from shows see us belting out everything from ‘The Man in Me’ to ‘Life is a Highway’. It’s a melting pot, sometimes it works, sometimes it’s ridiculous. Sometimes ridiculous is good.
Every track on Chaos Era could easily stand on its own, but a few moments absolutely demand comment. Take ‘Strange Eyes’, for example. It begins in the band’s signature classic cooler-than-a- cucumber vibe, then moves into a harmony-rich section which may take you by surprise! Lead singer Maddy Chamberlain creates a rippling underlayer of jazzy accompaniment, with her buttery timbre contrasting beautifully with the jangly guitars.
The seven-minute closer ‘Nothing To You’ acts as a conclusion to the work, tying together the loose ends and giving the listener a reminder of the layers of genius they’ve just experienced. Harmonically extended guitar parts, ambient synth timbres, and melodic solos are just a small slice of the action- marking it clearly as a standout.
With a debut LP as strong as this, there’s no reason to doubt that Midnight Rodeo are on a very fast, very direct road to success! A body of work that goes from strength to strength, they’ve gifted us something which blends some exceptional musicianship with infectiously danceable grooves.
Stream Chaos Era on Spotify.
If you’re a fan of what you hear, why not catch them on one of their upcoming tour dates:
10 Sept – The Victoria, Birmingham
11 Sept – Le Pub, Newport
12 Sept – Heartbreakers, Southampton
13 Sept – The Grace, London
18 Sept – Voodoo Daddys, Norwich
19 Sept – Moor Brewery, Bristol
20 Sept – Bodega, Nottingham
1 Oct – Oporto, Leeds
3 Oct – The Garibaldi Hotel, Nottingham
4 Oct – The Hope & Ruin, Brighton
8 Oct – Jokers Pub, Angers (FR)
9 Oct – MOSTÄ, Nantes (FR)
10 Oct – Supersonic, Paris (FR)
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