Middle Kids are an Australian indie rock band and Faith Crisis Pt 1 is their third album. They recorded it on the “Sunshine Coast” (East Sussex, England not Queensland, Australia), at the exotic location of Eastbourne – probably more known for art-deco and the purple rinse than popular music.
Co-produced by band bassist Tim Fitz and Jonathan Gilmore (The 1975, Beabadoobee), Faith Crisis Pt 1 is billed as exploring lyrical and musical territory inspired by lead singer Hannah Joy’s search for meaning and identity after personal crisis (unfortunately we all have plenty of those).
Recording in a coastal town was appropriate given that the break-through for the album occurred on a beach in New South Wales after a period of writer’s block for Joy; the first song that broke like a wave was “Terrible News”, a series of “strange, shouty confessions of some of [her] insecurities”, and a track demonstrating the way that the band can sweep up the listener in a tide of emotion.
There are some impressive and memorable anthems. Highlights include the pull of regret in “The Blessings”, the short pop burst of “Petitions”, and the energetic impatience and frustration of “Highlands”. The bright and melodic “Dramamine” and “Your Side, Forever” make a convincing case for believing in the person by your side more than something bigger in life. The tender openhearted ballad “All in My Head”, featuring Australian singer songwriter and frontman of alternative rock band Gang of Youths David Le’aupepe, revels in its loneliness.
Label: Lucky Number
Release Date: 16 FEB 2024
Poetic Justice 