Barnsley newcomers Midnight P.M. fuse elements of indie with punk pop in a fun and hooky sound that they describe as “emo indie rock.”
The band started out as a solo project of music written by Jack Simpson, who needed a studio recording of his first demo. He teamed up with Thomas Merrills and the pair worked on a first record that became their debut single Line in the Sand, which was eventually released in December 2024.
Fast forward a few months and the band has released a few more singles this year, leading up to last month’s debut EP It’s What The Kids Want. And on the sound they’ve crafted in that time, the band told us: “We combine elements of classic indie rock with pop punk riffs and hooks and fast-paced drums.”
The EP opens up in lively fasion with a squeak of reverb before a fun riff to kick off Chokehold. It drops into fast-paced drums under engaging vocals, which flow into a bouncy chorus. The pace slows in a second verse that gradually builds with the line “I could be the one, Give you all that need, Write you all these letters that you won’t even read, Fuck me,” before dropping into another lively chorus. That gives way to rolling drums and guitars, then slows down ahead of a guitar solo that drops into a final chorus.
That’s followed by the album’s two singles, starting with the darker, more atmospheric and oddly alluring What You Said. Then it kicks back into life with fun punk guitars opening up the EP’s title track It’s What The Kids Want. Engaging vocals take over alongside descending guitar chords, flowing into a catchy chorus “It’s what the kids want, To be singing your song,” dropping into fast drums and guitars. The pace again slows in the second verse with palm-muted guitars and a distant lick building to another chorus. Out of nowhere, there’s a key change with higher-pitched vocals giving way to a darting little guitar solo dropping into a final chorus.
The EP wraps up with the far more laid-back Blue Dye and the slightly epic, in indie and punk terms, Balcony Talk, which comes in at 6:30 long.
On the EP, the band said: “We can’t wait for people to hear these songs, most of the songs have been in the works for around a year. People should expect some massive indie bangers with some real emotion.”
The Midnight P.M. sound draws on a wide range of musical genres, including everything from Pierce The Veil, Oasis and Blink-182 to Catfish and the Bottlemen, Inhaler and DMA’s. And on what inspires them to write music, the band tells us: “A lot of our songs come from past experiences with relationships and general life.”
There’s plenty more to come from Midnight P.M. so, if you like what you heard from the EP, keep an eye out fr more soon, including, hopefully, a big birthday concert for their anniversary in December. And the band added: “We believe we’re gonna start to go places in the next year so keep an eye on us.”
You can follow Midnight P.M. on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
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