Midrift - ‘Over Anything’
Alt-shoegaze style trailblazers Midrift announce a stellar debut record with equally impressive lead single ‘Over Anything’.
Midrift have been around the scene for a while now and have always been a truly sensational act to witness both on record and on stage. Their blend of violently beautiful tones and scathing lyrics creates a beautiful syncopation between each part of this wildly talented 3-piece, who now, having spent time touring and honing their craft, have finally settled into their style and found a true creative identity.
‘Over Anything’ starts guns blazing, swirling chord progressions place themselves in its eclectic noise to ride out the intro before breaking into a punchy and emphatic palm-muted chugs as the all-familiar vocal tracking starts and glues this song together. This choppy, almost stuttering guitar section allows the drums to breathe really well and builds a truly awe-inspiring atmosphere around this short but sweet 3-minute stunner. This truly is Midrift on top form, from this track’s concise and well-adjusted production to their ability to keep it raw in spite of this higher production value, everything works. Having caught Midrift live on tour in the UK with Basement, it was evident that this is a deeply talented group likely set to go the whole way, with the standout being their drummer, Kai Neukermans. Kai’s talent is just as present in this track as it is live, carrying a steady aggression and perfect mapping, his drumming dips between speeds effortlessly and adds a pressing emphasis to the already brilliant chord progressions, vocals and vocals. This song is tight and sets a shining example for the future album set to be released June 5th this year.
Seeing young artists thrive is arguably my favourite part of music in the modern era. The widespread access to engineering software and instrument tutorials has brought us some of the greatest young minds across all genres, and Midrift truly possesses every element of that excellence. It’s tantalising being able to watch from the sidelines with purpose and intensity to see just how far the San Francisco 3-piece can take the lightning in a bottle they have in their hands. Their sound is one of raw power and emotion, and continues to be moving in the right direction. It goes without saying that if they're within even a 100-mile radius of you, it's of the utmost importance that you go and watch them play, and then watch every band after call Kai on to drum for them out of sheer respect for the craft. Talent is hard to come by nowadays, but Midrift undoubtedly possesses it in spades, so get on the bandwagon now before they blow up, so you seem cool to your friends in a couple of years.
Words by Josh Pook
