Seductive and stunningly cinematic, Soda Blonde’s “Midnight Show” is a passion and purpose-driven anthem of integrity and resolve – an inspiring and empowering look at what’s to come from the Irish alt-pop band’s forthcoming sophomore album, ‘Dream Big.’
Stream: “Midnight Show” – Soda Blonde
At its core, ‘Midnight Show’ is a resolute stand against surrender – a steadfast proclamation of passion and a commitment to artistic integrity.
Soda Blonde have never shied away from life’s deeper questions: As unfiltered as they are unapologetic, the Irish alt-pop band have, over the past four years, established themselves as “deep divers” – dedicated as much to creating unparalleled musical experiences, as they are to delivering thought-provoking lyrics and soul-stirring stories. Their songs have depth, character, and heart, but on top of all that, they force us to reflect on our own lives; on who we are, why we’re here, and where we’re going.
The band’s latest single poses an especially provocative question that keeps popping up in 2020s: What are you willing to sacrifice for your own success? How far will you go in order to get there, and how much of yourself will you give up in the process?
Seductive and stunningly cinematic, “Midnight Show” is a passion and purpose-driven anthem of integrity and resolve. Warmth and wonder coalesce with inner turmoil and unrest in an emotionally-charged eruption from the depths of these four souls dedicated to their craft, unwilling to bend to the pressures of a music industry that demands they look, sound, and act a certain way.
Lying low, dancing slow
Everything is changing but I don’t grow
Tell me though, if you know
Never mind I have a midnight show
Red sky at night
I drift through the moors
I see a young man
I like how he moves
I don’t speak his language
But that is fine
I’m not understood nearly all of the time
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Midnight Show,” a bold and beautiful mission statement from a band determined to forge their own path.
The second single taken off Soda Blonde’s forthcoming sophomore album, Dream Big (independently out September 8, 2023), “Midnight Show” seems to effortlessly echo the sentiment of its soon-to-be-released parent record: For what bigger dream is there, than to pursue your passion without sacrificing any part of your integrity in the process?
Lying low, dancing slow
Everything is changing but I don’t grow
Tell me though, if you know
Never mind I have a midnight show
He asked what I do
I said that I sing
He said I’m afraid that’s not worth a thing
That made me sad
I felt like a fool
I could dance for some money
Wait is that not cool?
I don’t speak his language, but that is fine, I’m not understood nearly all of the time…
With an enchanting refrain and verses full of substance and story, “Midnight Show” highlights a challenge so many artists face in the modern era: How much of yourself do you expose, in order to showcase your art? Social media has made it commonplace and acceptable for artists and bands to give their audiences nearly full access to their lives, showing the world not only how their music is made and where the “magic” happens, but also what they’re having for breakfast, which outfit they’re planning to wear on a given day, and so on. This “inside baseball”-style access, once reserved for a select few, is now the norm; an expected facet of every artist or band’s marketing plan. Privacy is a luxury not offered to those in “the public eye,” and what’s more, this openness is cheered as a form of empowerment.
“It’s about how things are consumed, and the pressure of having to be social media influencers as well as artists,” Soda Blonde’s frontwoman Faye O’Rourke says of their new single. “It can sometimes feel like a form of prostitution, all the things that are required of us. I don’t enjoy putting myself out there and exposing myself in those ways; it’s easier for me to express myself one on one or through music. So that has been a journey, asking, ‘What do we have to do to make this work?’ Do we just submit ourselves over to this virtual playground, and not take it personally?”
O’Rourke and bandmates Adam O’Regan (keys and guitar), Donagh Seaver O’Leary (bass) and Dylan Lynch (drums) dive headfirst into these pervasive questions through a story of one young, aspiring performer’s tragedy: In giving up so much of herself in pursuit of her dreams, she loses sight of her passion entirely:
Lying low, dancing slow
Everything is changing but I don’t grow
Tell me though, if you know
Never mind I have a midnight show
I’ve been told I’m a pro
It was never what I wanted though
Tell me though, if you know
Never mind I have a midnight show
Breaking my own heart again…
“I’ve been told I’m a pro, it was never what I wanted though,” O’Rourke sings over rich harmonies and glistening grooves, an aching in her voice. This is the modern artist’s lament: How much of myself do I give away? Soda Blonde’s performance is passionate and poetic, exposing a topic many are too afraid to discuss publicly, or consider a “taboo”:
Dancing for money be as it may
Some people they said it wasn’t ok
But I bled from the mark
You pushed with a shove
You’ll all get a turn
I mean heavens above
Dancing for money what can I say
The moon’s changed its orbit
And nobody came
I lay in the heather started to cry
I just wanted to sing
“‘Midnight Show’ is the tale of a determined young girl vehemently striving for success – or more accurately, for survival,” the band shares. “The story reflects the struggle of pursuing aspirations while feeling like one is sacrificing authenticity for achievement, a sentiment every artist can relate to. However, at its core, ‘Midnight Show’ is a resolute stand against surrender, a steadfast proclamation of passion and a commitment to artistic integrity despite the challenges of the digital age.”
The story reflects the struggle of pursuing aspirations while feeling like one is sacrificing authenticity for achievement.
Whereas the story of “Midnight Show” takes a tragic turn, Soda Blonde themselves sound stronger than ever: More confident in their identity as a band and sure of themselves in who they are as artists and lifelong best friends. It’s an inspiring show of zeal, resilience, and resolve from the Irish artists who have, since their debut just four years ago, embraced vulnerability and humanity at every turn.
It’s also a display of their own multi-faceted talents: The new song was produced by the band in Blackmountain Studios, Dundalk, with string arrangements composed by Adam O’Regan and performed by the Glas Quartet.
Lying low, dancing slow
Everything is changing but I don’t grow
Tell me though, if you know
Never mind I have a midnight show
I’ve been told I’m a pro
It was never what I wanted though
Tell me though, if you know
Never mind I have a midnight show
An irresistibly danceable, dramatic inner reckoning, “Midnight Show” follows Dream Big‘s lead single “Bad Machine,” which was hailed as “a cathartic eruption of passion and purpose” and named one of Atwood Magazine Editor’s Pick just last month. Soda Blonde describe their forthcoming album as a mature awakening to the world at large; one that dives deeper and hits harder than its predecessor, 2021’s Small Talk
“Small Talk was trying to decipher whether everything meant something or nothing,” Adam O’Regan explains. “With Dream Big, we’ve arrived at the point that it means something.”
Dream Big is set for release September 8, 2023. For now, stream Soda Blonde’s stunningly cinematic new single and get lost in the world of “Midnight Show,” exclusively on Atwood Magazine!
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Stream: “Midnight Show” – Soda Blonde
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© Patricio Cassinoni
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