On their third album, Mountain, East Nashville quartet MIDTONES lean fully into the space between collapse and carry-on, with the everyday “midtones” where most of real life actually happens. With Daniel Brown’s raw, worn-in vocals up front and the band wrapping him in gentle piano, moody guitars, and atmospheric synths, the record feels like a long exhale after years of holding your breath, with parenting, money stress, mental health, and love that’s frayed but still, somehow, holding.
The title track, “Mountain,” sets the emotional compass. A fluent, gliding piano leads the way as Brown sings in a rich, weathered voice, tired and determined. He keeps circling the sense that something in our modern grind is broken, “it’s not working, it’s not moving, you’re seeing this, right?” then searches for a reset in images of rivers, light, and starting “back to basics.” Backing harmonies slowly rise around him and, by the bridge, thumping drums and a tightening vocal turn introspection into a subtle protest.
“Won’t Be Long Now” flips the energy, trading reflection for motion. It’s a high-energy chase scene built on driving rhythms and bright melody, a mantra for hanging on when the climb feels endless. You can hear the band pushing forward together, as if sheer movement might keep the doubts at bay.
“Here We Go Again” is the anxiety track that hits a little too close to home. Melodic, moody guitar lines snake under Brown’s breathy, intimate delivery as the drums beat like a nervous heartbeat. He admits to insomnia, missed words, being off his meds, coming home “smelling like smoke again,” then still clings to love like a lifeline.
Closer “Please Don’t Be The End” pulls everything into focus. Over immersive textures and steady beats, Brown pleads in a low, vulnerable tone not to lose “everything we loved, everything we knew,” before lifting into a high, needy surge, “there are movies in your eyes,” that feels like one final reach for connection.
By the time Mountain fades, it hasn’t solved anything, but it’s mapped the climb with honesty and heart, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need to keep going.
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Review by: Naomi Joan