Midding - Nowhere Near Today EP

Immaculately conceived debut EP from fresh-faced Cardiff-based four-sometimes-five piece, Midding. Young guns they may be, but there's an eye for detail and melodic understanding on display here that suggests one or, as is most likely, some combination of: the formative presence of older siblings/parents (kill me now), a solid commitment to the algorithim-free depths of YouTube, or a preternatural grasp of aesthetics. Yes, there are extremely astute influences on show - Psychic TV, first two albums Mary Chain, upstairs at the Living Room circa 1983 - though to have them arranged just so is a different skill entirely. Self-recorded, produced and mixed, mostly in bedroom studios on slightly janky analog equipment, there's a bruising textural quality to these five recordings that unites lo-fi as both circumstantial necessity and creative choice. Put them in a bigger, better studio, and I'd imagine they'd only desire to sound the same way. That in itself reveals the intent that drives these songs, each defined by a primitive drum machine linearity, tremolo fuzz guitars and the kind of vocal so attitudinally disaffected you'd not be surprised if the singer performed it lying down. Tricky to pick a standout, though closer 'WILL NOT DANCE' is of particular note for it's change in pace, a dream-like lament that channels Ladies and Gentlemen's... widescreen heartbreak through a no-budget lens. Most importantly, even at this early stage, Midding know what they like and they know how to get it. That's more than half the battle.