Middle Kids discover renewed ambition in overcoming their crisis of faith

IF it wasn't for Gang Of Youths frontman Dave Le'aupepe, there's every chance the world would never have gotten Middle Kids.

Le'aupepe was a big believer in their anthemic brand of indie-rock. Even before Middle Kids' Hannah Joy (vocals, guitar), her husband Tim Fitz (bass, keys) and bandmate Harry Day (drums) believed in themselves.

"He was a friend of mine for years and he actually sung at Hannah and I's wedding before we started the band," Fitz tells Weekender in a three-way Zoom interview, which also includes Day.

"Dave was having dinner at our place once and we showed him Edge Of Town, which was unreleased, and he encouraged us to put that out and find a team and be a band."

The origin story of Middle Kids goes something like this. In 2016 the Sydney trio upload Edge Of Town to triple J Unearthed and the song catches like wild fire online.

So much so that Sir Elton John becomes a vocal fan of Middle Kids and suddenly US radio is playing their music and they're making appearances on American talk-shows Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show with James Corden.

Fast forward to 2024, Middle Kids have released two EPs and the acclaimed albums Lost Friends (2018) and Today We're The Greatest (2021) and on Friday they released their third record Faith Crisis Pt 1.

Bringing it full circle, the final track of Faith Crisis Pt 1 features Le'aupepe's baritone on piano ballad All In My Head.

"He doesn't really do that kind of thing, so we felt that was a great honour that he was willing to do it," Fitz says.

"I was so happy when I heard it because Hannah and Dave's voices together, singing that song, is really powerful."

Besides delivering a new album, three weeks ago Joy and Fitz welcomed the birth of their second son, to ensure life couldn't be any more hectic.

"We're super happy and in that crazy space," Fitz says.

"We're feeling quite inspired. It's a crazy thing to have a kid and release an album within a month of each other, but it's also keeping it fresh."

Faith Crisis Pt 1, like the name suggests, was written during a chaotic period for Middle Kids.

With pandemic raging and Joy and Fitz adapting to life as new parents - their first child Sonny was born in January 2020 - many of the truths they previously clung to were challenged.

"We'd like people to think about those parts in their life, not necessarily religion, but things they have put their trust in and feel whether there has been a reshaping - a death or rebirth in a certain area," Fitz says.

"There's a lot in the world and in people's lives that's been quite tumultuous and we think there's an important conversation to be had about how to move through those times as a crisis."

Much like parenthood, Faith Crisis Pt 1 is an album of highs and lows.

Tracks like the frenetic Highlands and pop-sheen of Dramamine reach to the same anthemic stratosphere as Middle Kids' strongest singles Edge Of Town and Mistake, but the album is also littered with Joy's bleakest lyrics.

On Bend, written by Joy one night in a Campbelltown motel while she was filming the movie Christmess - she sings "my mind's a parasite/ And it's eating me alive."

Then on the Grouplove-esque Terrible News her frustration at the COVID-19 pandemic is expressed in the chorus of, "And I can't take it/ Sitting in this noisy room/ With all these wound up people/ Giving terrible news."

Day admits hearing Joy sing Bend the first time caught him unprepared.

"I felt the lyrics hit me so immediately," Day says. "Often when I'm listening to music I hear a lot of the colour and texture before I hear the words.

"But with that one, because the demo was fairly stripped back, I thought they were pretty arresting and they kind of stayed with me.

"I also felt they were some of the most poignant lyrics I'd heard Hannah write. We were pretty conscious of that when we were deciding to approach it."

The darkness of lyrics even surprised Fitz.

"I like hearing what's going on in Hannah's interior world," he says. "I'm such a believer in bit of a blank cheque for an artist to express themselves through their art.

"There are challenging lines and lyrics in a song like Bend, but it's valuable because of that. I don't believe in censoring a song, and saying, 'that feels a bit dark or a bit much'.

"I feel like there's real bravery in putting it out there and Hannah expressing what she wants to express in the moment."

Sonically Middle Kids had clear intentions for Faith Crisis Pt 1. They travelled to Eastbourne on England's south coast to record with producer Jonathon Gilmore, best known for working with The 1975, Beabadoobee and Nothing But Thieves.

Fitz served as the album's co-producer and says the band wanted to use Gilmore's expertise in recording organic instruments in a way that makes them "competitive with electronic instruments."

"I think he brought a different sound because a lot of our influences are American indie music throughout the '80s and '90s to now," he says. "A lot of his references were more British, so it was interesting."

Despite having two children under five, Middle Kids remain ambitious for more success, especially in the US. Last year they toured there for the first time since the pandemic, supporting American indie bands Manchester Orchestra and Jimmy Eat World.

Following their Australian album tour in May, Middle Kids will play their own headline shows in the US during June.

"In terms of artistry, I think in some ways it's made us more ambitious," Fitz says of becoming parents. We understand how precious it is to have that artistic space to be in. We want to protect that space and express ourselves as well as doing what's best for our family."

Middle Kids' Faith Crisis Pt 1 was released on Friday.