(Photo Credit - Daphne Nguyen)
Advance Review - Middle Kids: Today We’re The Greatest (March 19, 2021)
“I want to make music that loves its listener. Music that makes people feel seen, seen in the tiny little places that hide away in their hearts. I want people to hear our music, and feel a sense of love. And when I say love, it can be challenging, intense and tough. But it’s in the guts.” – Hannah Joy.
Hannah Joy's quote about the intention of their music is a good starting point for this review. The record is a highly personable and intimate examination of love. The writing of Today We're The Greatest, led Joy to newfound depths of introspection and it shows in the lyrics on the album. That paired with the intensely collaborative efforts musically of her bandmates Tim Fitz and Harry Day lead to a cohesive sound that is rare to find. Musically, Middle Kids find a nice balance between lower-key acoustic numbers (which bookend the number), as well as a blended track "Lost in Los Angeles" that is terrific.
One particularly cool side effort of the band did was to include Joy and Fitz's baby's heartbeat from Joy's 20-week sonogram into the track "Run With You". I truly don't know how you make a track more heartfelt than including something like that in it. Overall, Today We're The Greatest is another strong effort from the Sydney, Australia natives. Since their formation in 2016, they have steadily released new music that seems to strengthen as they go along. I think Today We're The Greatest might be the band's strongest effort to date. As their profile has continued to grow, they have shared the stage with some big names in alt including Cold War Kids, The War on Drugs, and Local Natives. I had an opportunity to see them play live as they opened at a Ryan Adams show (pre-controversy) and they were incredible. I'm looking forward to seeing where Today We're the Greatest will take the band and what the future holds for them. As far as this record is concerned, I would highly recommend it.
Rating - 4.5/5