Last week, Melbourne's own MID CITY unveiled their debut EP Die Waiting. To celebrate its release, lead singer Joel Griffith broke down some of the reference points that helped them when piecing it together.
'To Hell With Good Intentions' by Mclusky
It’s been difficult for us to describe where our sound comes from or what our influences are. People say like an Interpol Killers baby but that’s not really it. Anyways, if I had to pick a song that sparks the energy we’re trying to build it’s this one. None of us are actually Mclusky fans really but this song was a real marker for how we look to mix heavy grooves with that “listen up, people!” vocal delivery.
The Grapes of Wrath
Not a deep literary reference, no. Especially because I haven’t read it. I have been trying to get past the first chapter for three years. But in doing that it’s come to be a symbol for me of how we approach life as a band. That book (so far as I’ve found out!) is so beautifully engrossing – the same way writing a great tune is – but damn if it doesn’t take all your focus to stay with it. Apparently, it also gets super depressing too so I hope that comparison isn’t too literal going forward.
The POG
Most of the melodies we build from come initially from Ben’s pedal board, specifically the POG. Leading into these sessions we were kinda kicking around the outside of a lot of ideas. None were really sticking until Ben bought one of these and we found a solidifying dose of inspiration that helped bring the sound of this record into focus.
Concrete
We were surrounded by concrete making this record. We did all the writing in a cement box under a carpark. It had this weird, low concrete roof that made you feel like you were buried at the bottom of the world. Hopefully, that helped turn anything we created under that weight into a little gem (…or lump of coal depending on what you think of our band).
Tiki Bars
The upside of the concrete dungeon was that it had its own tiki bar in the corner and we got really into Malibu and pineapples. So much so that Die Waiting was originally going to be called Hawaiian Slam Jam. It’s probably a good thing we did the recording and mixing away from there now I think about it.
You can listen to Die Waiting by MID CITY below:
