Days of Thunder

2014 EP by The Midnight
This article is about the EP. For the song, see Days of Thunder (song).
Days of thunder - ep.jpg
Days of Thunder
EP by
The Midnight
ReleasedJuly 15, 2014
GenreSynthwave
Length37:18
LabelThe Midnight Music
ProducerTim McEwan
The Midnight chronology
Days of thunder - ep.jpg
Days of Thunder
(2014) 		Endless summer - album.jpg
Endless Summer
(2016)
Alternative cover
Days of Thunder Old Cover.jpg
Original album cover

Days of Thunder is the debut extended play (EP) by The Midnight. It was released independently by the band on July 15, 2014.[1]

No singles from Days of Thunder were released prior to the EP's release, but in 2016 electronic music label Silk Music issued remix singles for the songs WeMoveForward and Days of Thunder.[2][3] The singles included the original songs and remixes that would later appear on the 2017 remix album The Midnight Remixed.[4]

Background and composition

Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle met in 2012 at a songwriter's workshop in North Hollywood organized by Katie Donovan, Lyle’s A&R representative at the time.[5] Prior to meeting, McEwan had listened to some of Lyle’s previous work and liked Lyle’s folk sound. They bonded over a mutual love of 80s rock and after initially struggling to define their sound, decided to enter the synthwave genre at the suggestion of McEwan. McEwan had prior exposure to the burgeoning synthwave genre and was inspired by the movie Drive. The first song they wrote as a duo was WeMoveForward, and the same day they also wrote the chorus for Gloria.[5][6][7] Over the next two years, they continued writing and recording songs, leading to the release of Days of Thunder. Prior to the release of the EP, several songs that were being worked on by McEwan (who was known as iAmData at the time) and Lyle were previewed on McEwan's Soundcloud account, including WeMoveForward, Gloria, Synthetic, and Comet.[8][9][10][11][12] While WeMoveForward and Gloria made the Days of Thunder tracklist, Synthetic was held back for the next The Midnight release, Endless Summer. Comet would not get released until 2021 as part of the 5 Year Anniversary edition of Endless Summer.

The EP was not promoted with any singles but still managed to make a modest impact upon release. At the time, the synthwave genre of music was still emerging and in the early stages of gaining traction. Days of Thunder was given positive reviews on the websites DRIVE Radio and NewRetroWave, and also caught the attention of several Reddit communities throughout 2014 and 2015.[13][14][15][16] When The Midnight's first album Endless Summer was released in 2016, synthwave and its online communities were much more established, drawing many new listeners to Days of Thunder. Gloria, Days of Thunder, and Los Angeles became popular songs of the genre and continue to be regularly performed by the band at live shows.

Music and lyrics

The primary themes explored by The Midnight on Days of Thunder are escapism, love, isolation, existentialism, and nostalgia, particularly when looked at through the lens of city life.

The EP begins with The Years (prologue), a slow moving tribute to Lyle's wife Anna, whom he met after moving to Los Angeles in the early 2010s. The inclusion of "prologue" in the song title indicates it as being not only a precursor to the other songs on the EP but also establishing the relationship of Lyle and Anna as preceding The Midnight's formation. The main synth riff slowly crescendos as the song progresses to include drums, guitar, and a chanting vocal. The final lyric in the song, "aimless and upward", is a recurring motif in Lyle's solo work and unifies his musical background with the production style of McEwan.

Gloria increases the tempo and octane of the EP with pulsing synth stabs and heavy guitar riffs, with lyrics expressing a near existentialist cry for help. The song leans heavily into the the themes of isolation and escapism, trademarks of the synthwave genre. WeMoveForward has a significantly more progressive house feel and recounts a tale of love discovered at the beach. Proclaiming "we move forward, because we can't go back", the song emphasizes the ideal of living life in the present and taking chances.

Beginning with the sound of a car engine starting, the title track evokes high speed chases from 80s action films with strong synth patterns, loud percussion, and distinctive saxophone riffs, which would become a trademark of The Midnight's sound. Discussing the dark side of love, Days of Thunder also explores the idea of feeling alone in a big city, describing "the ghosts of the boulevard" as "living with lonely hearts". Kick Drums & Red Wine, another synth driven song, explores the ways people search for answers in life by pretending to be something they're not, with the narrator choosing to find relief through authenticity and "kick drums and red wine".

The EP concludes with Los Angeles, an ode to the birthplace of The Midnight written by Lyle upon moving from Los Angeles to New York City. The moderately paced song has a more sparse production compared to the previous songs on the EP, recounting memories shared at various places including the beach, Sunset Boulevard, and the canyons and mountains of Los Angeles. Often regarded as one of The Midnight's signature songs, Los Angeles ties together the EP's themes and the band's mantra of mono no aware with Lyle declaring, "if we live forever let us live forever tonight".

Official description

The Days of Thunder

There is a Japanese term: Mono no aware. It means basically, the sad beauty of seeing time pass - the aching awareness of impermanence. These are the days that we will return to one day in the future only in memories. How do we capture them? How could we possibly be able to fully appreciate them in the present? This project is our attempt to put time under glass.

The Midnight is a marriage between a songwriter from the Deep South and a producer from Denmark who both live in Los Angeles. The songs were written in North Hollywood and Santa Monica over two years and represent the first fruit of The Midnight. This is our love song to our city and a testament to the weight these years can hold.

[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle.

No.TitleLength
1."The Years (prologue)"6:08
2."Gloria"4:49
3."WeMoveForward"8:07
4."Days of Thunder"5:24
5."Kick Drums & Red Wine"6:21
6."Los Angeles"6:29
Total length:37:18

Release history and variants

Digital release history for Days of Thunder
Date Edition
July 15, 2014 Standard
Days of Thunder Old Cover.jpg

Days of thunder - ep.jpg
Artwork was changed to current revision in February 2016 due to potential copyright issues with the original image.[17] The artwork it was changed to was first used for the release of Lost & Found (The Midnight Remix).
March 20, 2016 Instrumentals
Days of thunder - ep.jpg
The instrumentals were originally uploaded to Soundcloud in June 2015 prior to getting an official release on Bandcamp and streaming services.[18][19]
May 7, 2021 Stems
Days of thunder - ep.jpg
Contains the six songs from the EP denoted with BPMs plus 94 stem parts comprising all songs. The stems are not royalty free but projects and remixes made with them are allowed to be used on non-monetized platforms.
Physical release history for Days of Thunder
Year Format Color/Design
2018 Cassette White
DaysOfThunderWhiteCassette.webp
First tape variant. Was first offered for sale at the Spring 2018 shows with the remaining stock being sold online.
2018 Cassette Transparent Red
TM Web Music Days-Of-Thunder Casette Red.webp
Second tape variant.
2018 LP Transparent Red
TM Web Music Days-Of-Thunder LP Red 5ec3b32f-a678-49b9-a88d-dadd48b92db8.webp
First vinyl variant. The EP was remastered for this release. Lost & Found is included as a bonus track. Preorders began in June 2018 and were shipped in September.
2022 CD -
TM Web Music Days-Of-Thunder CD Main.webp

TM Web Music Days-Of-Thunder CD Open.webp
Lost & Found is erroneously included on the printed tracklist. A download link to the song is sent when purchasing the CD.
2022 LP Blue Swirl
TM Web Music Days-Of-Thunder LP-Blue-Swirl.webp
Second vinyl variant. Lost & Found is included as a bonus track.
2024 LP Evil Dead
TM Web Music Days-Of-Thunder LP.webp
Third vinyl variant. Lost & Found is included as a bonus track.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Days of Thunder | The Midnight". Bandcamp. July 15, 2014. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ "WeMoveForward (incl. Talamanca Remix) | The Midnight". Bandcamp. March 28, 2016. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Days Of Thunder | The Midnight". Bandcamp. August 1, 2016. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Midnight Remixed | The Midnight". Bandcamp. August 14, 2017. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Who Are The Midnight?: An Interview with the Masters of Modern Nostalgia". Vehlinggo. November 12, 2017. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Retrowave Sessions Ep 2: The Midnight - YouTube". YouTube. May 30, 2019. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  7. ↑ "The Midnight // Interview by (( URY Music )) | Mixcloud". MixCloud. August 23, 2016. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Adam on X: "iAmData and Tyler Lyle wanna soundtrack your 80s themed afternoon dance party. let them:" / X". Twitter. April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ↑ "'Gloria'- iAmData feat Tyler Lyle | songsfortheday". songsfortheday. April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Peanut~Bekah on X: "WeMoveForward (iAmData & Tyler Lyle) by iAmData on #SoundCloud" / X". Twitter. Jan 15, 2014. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Jakob Weise on X: "Check out 'Synthetic' by iAmData - looking so much forward to hearing more of his solo stuff." / X". Twitter. August 5, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  12. ↑ "✨Kate✨ on X: "Comet (iAmData solo project) by @I_am_data #soundcloud ❤️ It" / X". Twitter. November 12, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  13. ↑ "The Midnight - My favorite radio station DRIVE Radio posted a... | Facebook". Facebook. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ Sabiu, Andrea (August 28, 2014). "THE MIDNIGHT DROPS A NEW ALBUM - HOT OR NOT? - NewRetroWave - Stay Retro! | Live The 80's Dream!". NewRetroWave. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  15. ↑ "The Midnight - Days of Thunder (2014) : futuresynth". Reddit. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Midnight -- Days of Thunder [Synthwave/Synthpop] (2014) : listentothis". Reddit. August 24, 2014. Archived from the original on August 24, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Midnight - It has come to our attention that we,... | Facebook". Facebook. January 31, 2016. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  18. ↑ "The Midnight - I will be uploading the whole Days of Thunder EP... | Facebook". Facebook. June 19, 2015. Archived from the original on October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  19. ↑ "The Midnight - All the instrumentals for "Days of Thunder"... | Facebook". Facebook. June 20, 2015. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.

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