London punk band, Middleman have announced their new EP, John Dillinger Died For You, and released the lead single, “Falls Apart” on streaming services. 

Evoking something of EVOL-era Sonic Youth, or the energetic rush of The Men, “Falls Apart” retains an energetic clatter around the closing refrain: ‘In my head I can make it feel so small’. The single is about “things not turning out how you expect – although that could be for the best”, explains songwriter and vocalist, Noah Alves. “Sonically, I think it’s one of our most interesting songs, and Rory’s lead part over the chorus highlights that. It feels like us, but a step up from any of the songs we’ve put out before” he adds. The clear musicality cuts through the noise elevated by the pining passion in the vocals, reminiscent of Stiff Little Fingers.

Watch the video for “Falls Apart” 

How can you predict who a band will be influenced by, or what they might end up sounding like? Middleman, still in their early 20s and very much embedded in the London punk scene, have a sound shaped by American punk and rock; bands that had mostly burned out or imploded before they were even born. They embody that slight wonkiness found in greats like Mission Of Burma; that otherness, suggesting that something is slightly off and on edge. 

John Dillinger Died For You, the follow up to their well-received debut EP, Cut Out The Middleman (December 2022) takes its name from The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. The EP is being released 19th April on Evil Speaker Records.

As with their previous release, it was recorded at Walthamstow’s Fuzzbrain Studios, an increasingly important breeding ground for emerging bands including Chubby And The Gang and Island Of Love. Wanting complete creative freedom, the band engineered the album themselves along with friend Dylan Gilchrist. “We wanted to give it a shot figuring it out on our own”, the band explain. Recording all together in one room to try and get “the closest sound to seeing us live. It feels real and that means a lot to us”.

The addition of second guitarist, Rory White in late 2023 seems to paradoxically, give the songs more space to breathe; the instrumentation is more nuanced and introspective. Noah concurs, saying “I write very driving chord-heavy riffs and Rory allows the opportunity for these carefully crafted and delicate melodies to come through”.

“‘Imitation Blues” takes the guidance of bands such as Wipers and Dead Moon, maintaining a recognisably frustrated, human undertow. “I write from different perspectives so not everything I say is necessarily from me”, says Noah. “In ‘Imitation Blues’ I’m taking on quite a few different voices throughout the song”. This is mirrored in the transitional nature of the song between the harsh verses and dreamlike choruses.

The songs are all tight and punchy, with nothing exceeding four minutes, whilst still harnessing a structure within the form. Detectable verse and chorus structures are not habitual; there are pauses and shifts in feel and tempo, keeping the listener on their toes, moving.

“Virginia Bell’ is a tale of seeking direction and focus, about a ‘sailor with no anchor’, whose ‘…course is steered by the sea’s evil whips’. The title comes from an actress and dancer that bassist, Harper Maury’s grandfather saw when he was younger. He was playing percussion on stage, but was so distracted by her that he kept making mistakes. Although not initially written about the faded ingenue, the track is also about how we “idealise and look up to people, imagining what it must be like for them and how damaging it could be if everyone has a preconceived notion of you” add the band.

EP closer, “Morning All The Time” continues the maritime theme, albeit unconsciously, around the universal subject of “growing up and finding yourself”. Starting out like The Replacements, it morphs and builds with Lily Pym’s drums very much at the centre; and held together with a sharp lick that calls to mind the scrappy melodies of early Dinosaur Jr. The second verse extenuates this theme, with the line, ‘Like you’re swimming for the first time and the water feels too deep’, inspired by the similar metaphor in a Loudon Wainwright III song, showing just how eclectic the bands tastes are. The verse ends with a call to be taken to a place where ‘it’s morning all the time’, a place of unlimited opportunity and hope. A warm, universal yearning, for stability, despite however impossible this might seem. It leaves the EP on a high note and showcases a style of song Middleman have not displayed before.

Across these tracks, Middleman sound like an increasingly assured band, finding their anchor, their course, their direction.

Middleman have been playing shows on the DIY hardcore/punk scene with the likes of Island of Love, Powerplant , CIVIC, Hotline TNT, Militarie Gun, High Vis and Prison Affair.

Middleman are:
Noah Alves – Vocals, Guitar
Rory White – Guitar
Harper Maury – Bass
Lily Pym – Drums
 
UK Tour dates – more to be announced shortly:
27th Feb – Manchester, Fuel Cafe Bar
28th Feb – Leeds,The Funhouse
29th Feb- Newcastle, Little Buildings
3rd March- London – New River Studios (Damage is Done Fest)
16th March- London, Oslo (supporting Protex)
31st March – London, Oslo (benefit gig)