“Midnight” by Broken Fires A Song Feature

 

     Broken Fires weave various musical styles into a single song and leave a frequently evolving flow that never loses its freshness. As an example, at 2:22 of “Midnight,” the single is most aligned with the soft and emotional vocal style of crooning; then, a multi-step crescendo transforms the song into Rock. Artfully, each step of the crescendo is signaled by the line “Now and then.”
 
     During most of “Midnight,” the instruments and vocals exhibit a vulnerability. The vulnerability is most apparent in the lead vocals, and is underscored in the lush harmony that surfaces in the last line of each early verse. Still, there are times during which “Midnight” is commanding. The same is true for the instrumentation.
 
     Interestingly, the official video of “Midnight” is a black-and-white production. That decision was likely based upon the theme of the subject matter (the lyrics are included at the bottom of this post). Tom Stephens of Broken Fires spoke of “Midnight:”
   “This is a song about regret, about our mistakes and waiting for that moment when we can make amends. I wanted to write something that was about that second when, despite everything that has happened in the past, we have a chance to change things – to repair. We all make so many mistakes. Screw up friendships. Say stupid things. Midnight – the moment when one day turns to the next – seemed like a neat metaphor for that second when things can change... or not as sometimes happens!”
 
     The band is based in Swansea, UK. The core members of Broken Fires are Tom Stephens (lead vocals, guitar), Gareth Carter (guitar) and Justin Hendy (guitar), but the end of the official video further adds Mirain Vaughn (early keys, late violin), Dan West (drums), and Adam Terry (bass) as the others shown in the video. Moreover, the Bandcamp site for “Midnight” identifies additional performers as David Francis (drums), Angharad Jenkins (violin) and Matt Lederman (additional keys).

 
     In sessions throughout 2021, Broken Fires were preparing for the release of a second album. “HYMNS” is scheduled for release in Autumn 2022 on independent label Phwoar and Peace. The band is working with producer Matt Lederman, the man behind the desk on The Rural Alberta Advantage’s critically acclaimed album “Mended With Gold.”
 
     For readers who enjoy learning the history of a song, the press content regarding “Midnight” explains:
   Written on an old acoustic, the main melody and lyrics were thrown down using Garage Band in a day, but this is a track that evolved gradually, partly as a result of the weird circumstances surrounding the last two years. The drums, bass and guitars for the track were recorded at Mwnci Studios in West Wales before the pandemic. Produced by the band and Matt Lederman (Rural Alberta Advantage!!!), who also mixed the record, layers of synth, dreamy arpeggio guitars, glockenspiel and vocals were added remotely from separate bedrooms and home studios across Wales (and Canada) during the UK’s period of intermittent full lockdowns over the last 18 months. The result is a 4-minute tour of the full range of the band’s sound, from a single arpeggiated synth to explosions of overlapping vocals, dreamy guitars and driving sixteenth note drum patterns.
 
     “Midnight” by Broken Fires

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brokenfires
Bandcamp: https://brokenfires.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Midnight” by Broken Fires
Soaking to our skins at the funeral
Seconds catching glimpses in the cold 
A momentary love once lost reappears 
 
If you stick around, could I make amends 
The architect of everything we lost
But every time we talk, I shake and I shiver  
 
How long to wait til we reach midnight?  
I’ve been waiting here just to set things right
How long to wait til we reach midnight? 
I’ve been waiting here
 
Yesterday’s mistakes that we buried there
Under the foundations of our home
A momentary love collapsed, disappeared  
 
I’m looking for the words in our neighbourhood
Searching for the letters in the dark
Still, every time we talk shake and I shiver
 
How long to wait till we reach midnight?  
I’ve been waiting here just to set things right
How long to wait till we reach midnight? 
I’ve been waiting here
Won’t you come home? 
[Repeating]
 
Now and then
Maybe we could make amends 
For the mess we’ve made so far  
Now and then
If our backbones didn’t bend 
But then, that’s not who we are  
[Repeat]
 
How long to wait till we reach midnight?  
I’ve been waiting here just to set things right
How long to wait till we reach midnight? 
I’ve been waiting here
Won’t you come home? 
Just to set things right
[Repeating]