Middle Name John offers the beguiling, intricate yet surprisingly catchy new single ‘Different’.
Comparable to Thom Yorke’s Solo album ‘The Eraser’, ‘Different’ is built around a sprawling soundscape of glitching electronics, lighting guitar tones and boxy, lo-fi drums. Pleasingly experimental yet retaining a structure and a sense of purpose, the track balances its floating sonic ideas with a captivating, post-punk influenced spoken word verse that grows into a deceptively ear-worm, melodic vocal line in the chorus, delivered through some distortion tinted vocal processing.
Middle Name John shares an insight into the upcoming album: “The recording process for this album was the most scattered of any project I had embarked on before. We were all locked down in a global pandemic but I knew I wanted to start a new project. I wanted it to be lyrical while reflecting on the strange times we were all experiencing as a society. I also knew that I wanted to work with a couple of close friends in whatever capacity I could, to somehow reach a level of interplay while embracing the bizarre limitations laid out in front of us.
The limitations of recording during a global pandemic inspired the music. Rather than trying to create a band sound I wanted to have a crack at creating something “in the box” or quasi-electronic. I was using contorted guitar sounds on wacky drum samples to ignite lyrical sparks that reflected the confusion and uncertainty of a time. And I don’t think the feeling of that time has gone away, thus it feels relevant to put it out.”
Accompanied by a fittingly glitchy and dystopian visual, the single is taken from Middle Name John’s upcoming debut album Obviously Confidential, the track offers an exciting taste of the kind of unbridled creativity which can be expected across the full release.
Watch & Listen below:
