After a lengthy time of finding their own sound, Midnight Zephyr is ready to share the luminescence of their artistry with the help of the night and all the nocturnal pulsating synths and beats that it encompasses, with “Tonight” as its childbirth.
Hailing from the Land Down Under, the band quartet spearheaded by John McCarthy for lead vocals and guitars, Nick Seroukas for bass and vocals, Aaron Sedlak for lead guitars, and Leroy Heta for drums, has quite understood that in the alternative rock and pop punk genre emulsified in the land of Australia, they already have the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer, Empire of The Sun, INXS, AC/DC, and many more. However, they still managed to pull off something from themselves that they are worthy to be part of the lineup even if they are just starting to make their own name.
Especially for boy bands in its pop-rock sphere, Midnight Zephyr leverages that formulaic stance to a much more anthemic sounding, which makes them somehow on the verge of becoming known on their own, if they might have continued something like this. The songs they created for this record are easy to sing along to like something that can be deemed to be performed in karaokes with their friends and beers on the side, and something is substantial and worth digging upon due to its relatability rate and its certain human touch, something that 5 Seconds of Summer has presented throughout their discography. So, it is possible, with their skill and ability to create hook-y melodies and banger-after-banger track placements, that they can be in the forefront too.
It all shows in the first track This Is Where We End where it goes, “Everything expects perfection but I cannot give it to you when I’m not.” This line, as straightforward as it gets, gives the connotation that this band does not necessarily need mystery in their lyrical sensibilities as it is catered to a greater number of audiences. “Mistakes come and go,” and the line continues to be about something that will introduce them as a band, that they are something the majority can relate to, and isn’t that what music is all about? The ability to create songs for them to listen and say something along the lines of “I can relate to this!” or “I am this person!” They have that core in them which makes them capable enough to have their own name on the billboards if they continue to make something new from the already anthemic bangers especially that Australia is also known to have quite a number of such.
The most standout song in this EP has to be the title track Tonight due to how it sets apart from the other songs. While the other featured tracks happen to be something you can listen to when the sun is still erupting its own radiance, this track happens to be, there, you name it, listened in the night, with its dark yet groovy beats that are somehow drenched in reverberations. The bass guitar is showing its character, topped with hi-hats that matched its own sass and grit. The chorus greatly emphasizes the song why it is considered the best one of the EP. There is something so adventurous and tempting to go into the unknown while the moon is still in its pure fluorescence.
The next songs tend to be something played in the summer, and is sliding its own hope, and apparently, it is due with their capability to create anthems, wherein One Step (At A Time) tackles about that well-known quote where a journey of a thousand miles always begins with a single step, which basically means that there is no need to exert pressure when small progress is considered a progress in itself. Difference Between Us, however, is about acknowledging someone, whether a significant other or someone that is deemed important in their lives, that they are still present, supporting them find their own voices, and even if they haven’t find their inner core, they are still sitting beside them, which is a splendid closer to allow us to understand that a man is never made up like an island; there is always a bridge that can cross.
Uplifting anthems is the core of Midnight Zephyr, and it is a nice touch especially for the generation who happens to be drawn magnetically to the songs of melancholy and isolation. There is hope at the end of the tunnel, and I hope that their songs being blasted on the radio would be the end of the tunnel for those people who needed to hear it.
