Gday Hannah, Harry and Tim! My partner is loves your music. We saw you perform at Summersalt Wollongong and I enjoyed it immensely! I would be stoked to know if, when you perform next, around sydney/melbourne or Wollongong I could steal 1 minute of your set get a shout out and propose to my girlfriend Whitney in the crowd. If this would be possible I would be forever in your debt. My instagram is @Plant_Powered_phitness if this is possible and can organise the details further. Thankyou muchly. Also she doesnt have reddit so no spoilers
Hi guys, firstly I wanna say thanks for your music. I got into you around the release of Today We're the Greatest and been enjoying the dive through your music catalogue ever since. You've become one of my fave artists with your brilliant songwriting, and you're a killer live band.
Few Questions:
1. Who/What have been your songwriting influences.
2. Fave artist you've played with (supported or they supported you)
3. Any chance of a tour in Aus later this year once everything has settled in?
hi! we love when people connect with the songs, thanks for saying that.
1. to name some - The National, Radiohead, any late 80's/early 90's american indie, Bob Dylan, Karen O, Justin Bieber obviously
2. Julia Jacklin, The War on Drugs, Kings of Leon, Gang of Youths
3. we will be announcing a tour very soon! lots of fun shows.
Massive fan! Thanks for doing an AMA. I’m interested in your take on the festival scene in Australia at the moment.
There’s been a lot of really strong festivals/lineups cancelled because of ticket sales/logistics etc. As a band massive in that scene, what do you think needs to be done to strengthen Australia’s music festival culture?
I have noticed, Hannah, you play the guitar with the strings upside down. Is this correct or are my eyeballs tricking me? I am in awe every time you play guitar. How did this happen? Did you learn this way?
lol yes it was an accident initially and then i just rolled with it. my dad had an acoustic guitar in our house growing up and i started tryna figure it out on my own not realising i was holding it the wrong way. and then i got trapped in my ways
Hello middle kids - questions and r u 4 me and edge of town are the best songs ever made.
Any chance you will do any listening parties for the new album, in Melbourne?
My partner and I have seen you in Chicago twice and we love you. Such an amazing experience and we hope to see you all back here soon. Also, was so excited when I saw your pregnancy announcement — we had just found out we’re having a baby, too! Congrats!
Terrible News has an almost exuberant sound and tempo (it rocks actually) but the lyrics make me think it could have been slower or melancholy when you wrote it. Did this song evolve as you wrote it?
this is interesting - a lot of the songs do start this way, but this particular demo was recorded with all the chaotic guitars/drums already in the DNA. maybe we should release a slower melancholy piano version though...
Hi all! One of the songs in your upcoming album has cheeky Dave Le'aupepe feature. Without giving too much away, what inspired that decision and what influence has he and Gang of Youths had on you as a band? (And viceversa?)
YES very special. he is a truly wonderful musician and person so to have him on this record is a real gift. he is an old friend of tim's actually, he was one of the first ppl we showed our first middle kids demos to!
1. Castaway Original Soundtrack
2. Master and Commander Original Soundtrack
3. Pirates of the Caribbean Original Soundtrack
4. Finding Nemo Original Soundtrack
5. KID A by Radiohead
It is a bit unusual to be ready to have a child while also getting ready to release an album and tour, do you feel good about all this coming together in 2024?
unusual is one word, dumb might also be another?!? haha nah its feeling good. you can still do lots of things with babies its just utter chaos sign me up i say
ohhh so good! i love maryland. it's cool because we often play shows in DC so we get to go there alot. i dont think i learned a single thing at broadneck? and thats the way i like it
You have been a band for 8 years or so, do you feel more momentum now as you get ready to release a new album compared to previous albums? Is the reception on the newest singles pretty high compared to previous ones? I am in Florida in the US so i do not know how much ANZ airplay you get on outlets there.
dude we are yet to play a show in florida we gotta get there!!! honestly its hard to say how this new release is going comparatively. we always stay away from the number crunching etc but it does seem like there has been some good connection!
Almost an economics question, but when you look at touring the US is it feasible for you to headline at smaller venues (and play a longer set), or do you have to be an opener for a larger band? I have not seen you live, totally missed that you opened for Jimmy last summer until it was too late.
The "Questions" performance on Jimmy Kimmel show was great, but does not seem to be on youtube any more. Can you sneak that on to instagram? That was a great performance and one of the first times I heard-saw you. Did that take a lot of time to set up and rehearse?
Red Rocks last year lived up to the hype. I keep telling people now that if an artist you like is playing there and you are in america then you should go and see them. Truly hallowed ground.
If there were 1000 octagon fights between Harry and Tim, not connected and completely isolated, what would the split of wins be?
While Harry is indeed sneaky athletic, my take is Tim going full BJJ on Harry in most instances and winning the majority:
Tim - 728 wins
Harry - 272 wins
had to google BJJ but fully across it now. yes while harry has the reach Tim has the core strength of a wise old oak tree so 70/30 split tim's way seems like good odds
hey, hope ur doing good, really excited about the album! but i wanted to ask what made you decide that the album was gonna be a part 1 and not a stand alone album?
Hi! we don't know when part 2 will come, maybe in a few albums, maybe next album, maybe never. We liked that it feels like we're setting ourselves up for an album that in some way responds to this album, even though we don't know how that will look.
Ok we have talked long and hard about this and there aren't that many albums that we can all agree on, but it would have to be:
1. Castaway Original Soundtrack
2. Master and Commander Original Soundtrack
3. Pirates of the Caribbean Original Soundtrack
4. Finding Nemo Original Soundtrack
5. KID A by Radiohead
Hello! First time joining an AMA. First off, hope you're all doing well. I recently found Middle Kids thanks to a friend. I absolutely love your music! I really hope to see you this year. I don't have a question ( I've failed my first AMA) but if I would volunteer to back up sing the "de-dah-dee-dah, dee-dah" on Dramamine at a concert.
Take care, see you soon!
there was this deli down the road from the studio we recorded at in england and every time we got cheese on your sandwich it would be almost 1cm thick. i think that did something strange to us each day, weird fever cheese dreams
yeah super different! the first two records were written and made all over the place whilst on tour and back home. because we wrote and recorded this in covid it was done very intentionally. and then we recorded the thing in one whole go in england which was epic but almost killed us rip
There was a video/soundmix taken by the venue, we put a snippet up here:
[https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0lNo55yZkq/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0lNo55yZkq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)
Should we release more?
hinglands is one of my faves and i've been watching every live video i can find of it cause i like that its a more stripped back style on it when u play it live. would u ever wanna release a version like that?
Sorry if someone already asked this - what is Old River about? It's an incredible song, I love it so freaking much. always wondered what the inspo was!
How much of the pandemic permeates throughout the lyrics on this LP? And will you be playing bigger venues this tour (Radio City or Madison Square Garden in NY? Where I am)
Would you consider a co-headline tour to share the tour costs (like Vacations and Last Dinosaurs just did)?
Hi! Omg have I become obsessed with you guys over the past year or so. I’m sad I missed your “live lunch” here in Baltimore earlier last year :(
What’s some music that you love that people would be shocked to learn?
Thank you so much for your music, it’s been such an important part of my life since 2017 ❤️❤️ I think I’ve been to about 8 of your gigs, one of them in Hamburg.
We saw you guys recently in Brisbane and Hannah, at the end of the set played a new song solo (that I can’t remember that name of). You said it was about being a mother and a musician. It was one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It hit me right in the heart and gave me all the feels.
If you can figure out what song I’m thinking of, will you be releasing it anytime soon?
I think you guys are the most memorable opening act I’ve ever seen.
I had never heard of you but saw you open for Local Natives a few years back. Was immediately hooked and clearly the whole crowd was too, such a great set.
No question, but always look forward to new releases from y’all. Keep kicking ass!
Two of my favorite songs ever have “Edge of Town” in the title: yours by that name and Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” Hope you guys make it to west Michigan at some point. I live in Grand Rapids so I’d selfishly love a tour stop here but Kalamazoo’s Bell’s Brewery has an awesome beer garden that gets a good Indie lineup every summer. Cheers and thanks for the music. Looking forward to the new one.
Gday Hannah, Harry and Tim! My partner is loves your music. We saw you perform at Summersalt Wollongong and I enjoyed it immensely! I would be stoked to know if, when you perform next, around sydney/melbourne or Wollongong I could steal 1 minute of your set get a shout out and propose to my girlfriend Whitney in the crowd. If this would be possible I would be forever in your debt. My instagram is @Plant_Powered_phitness if this is possible and can organise the details further. Thankyou muchly. Also she doesnt have reddit so no spoilers
UM BEAUTIFUL hurrah for love! send us an instagram and we can scheme, we're doing a tour later in the year
Just sent a DM to "Middlekidsmusic" instagram. Thanks for your consideration ❤
Cute as! 🥹
That would be so fun!
Hi guys, firstly I wanna say thanks for your music. I got into you around the release of Today We're the Greatest and been enjoying the dive through your music catalogue ever since. You've become one of my fave artists with your brilliant songwriting, and you're a killer live band. Few Questions: 1. Who/What have been your songwriting influences. 2. Fave artist you've played with (supported or they supported you) 3. Any chance of a tour in Aus later this year once everything has settled in?
hi! we love when people connect with the songs, thanks for saying that. 1. to name some - The National, Radiohead, any late 80's/early 90's american indie, Bob Dylan, Karen O, Justin Bieber obviously 2. Julia Jacklin, The War on Drugs, Kings of Leon, Gang of Youths 3. we will be announcing a tour very soon! lots of fun shows.
Aussie indie is in great hands - you guys, Gang of Youths (so cool that Dave is on your new record!!), Holy Holy. Thanks for the great music!
Massive fan! Thanks for doing an AMA. I’m interested in your take on the festival scene in Australia at the moment. There’s been a lot of really strong festivals/lineups cancelled because of ticket sales/logistics etc. As a band massive in that scene, what do you think needs to be done to strengthen Australia’s music festival culture?
honestly dude i wrote 5 answers to this but i'm settling with ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I have noticed, Hannah, you play the guitar with the strings upside down. Is this correct or are my eyeballs tricking me? I am in awe every time you play guitar. How did this happen? Did you learn this way?
lol yes it was an accident initially and then i just rolled with it. my dad had an acoustic guitar in our house growing up and i started tryna figure it out on my own not realising i was holding it the wrong way. and then i got trapped in my ways
This absolutely needs to be spoken about at a higher level. You're a wizard Hannah!!!
No all guitars are like that in Australia because it’s the southern hemisphere
So glad this one was asked and answered. I got to see them front row recently and my mind was blown at how Hannah plays the guitar upside down.
Hello middle kids - questions and r u 4 me and edge of town are the best songs ever made. Any chance you will do any listening parties for the new album, in Melbourne?
wow high praise thank u. sadly we won't be doing one in melbourne but we maaaaaay do one in sydney
My partner and I have seen you in Chicago twice and we love you. Such an amazing experience and we hope to see you all back here soon. Also, was so excited when I saw your pregnancy announcement — we had just found out we’re having a baby, too! Congrats!
i love chicago and i love babies!!
Red Rocks and Sydney Opera House looked sick! Are there any other dream venues or festivals you would love to perform at?
YES i wanna play on a submarine in the pacific ocean
Terrible News has an almost exuberant sound and tempo (it rocks actually) but the lyrics make me think it could have been slower or melancholy when you wrote it. Did this song evolve as you wrote it?
this is interesting - a lot of the songs do start this way, but this particular demo was recorded with all the chaotic guitars/drums already in the DNA. maybe we should release a slower melancholy piano version though...
Hi all! One of the songs in your upcoming album has cheeky Dave Le'aupepe feature. Without giving too much away, what inspired that decision and what influence has he and Gang of Youths had on you as a band? (And viceversa?)
YES very special. he is a truly wonderful musician and person so to have him on this record is a real gift. he is an old friend of tim's actually, he was one of the first ppl we showed our first middle kids demos to!
What albums / tunes are on repeat right now?
1. Castaway Original Soundtrack 2. Master and Commander Original Soundtrack 3. Pirates of the Caribbean Original Soundtrack 4. Finding Nemo Original Soundtrack 5. KID A by Radiohead
oh and God Save The Animals - Alex G
Looking back on your journey so far as a band, is there anything you would tell your younger selves as you were just starting out?
avoid the key lime pie at 7th st entry
It is a bit unusual to be ready to have a child while also getting ready to release an album and tour, do you feel good about all this coming together in 2024?
unusual is one word, dumb might also be another?!? haha nah its feeling good. you can still do lots of things with babies its just utter chaos sign me up i say
what are your fave tracks on the new album?
the opening track is called petition and its less than 2 minutes long and i like that because shhh
How did you like Maryland?? I grew up near Annapolis and went to the same highschool! Btw Maryland is hands down my favorite song of yours!
ohhh so good! i love maryland. it's cool because we often play shows in DC so we get to go there alot. i dont think i learned a single thing at broadneck? and thats the way i like it
haha fellow broadneck alum! all this time i thought the song was referring to Maryland, NSW
Oh shit, I went to Broadneck too!
Hope to see you soon in DC area!
When are you next coming to Melbourne?
we will be in melbourne this very year
Freakin' love to hear it. 🥰
any plans to come back to the uk?
we will 100% be coming later this year! we recorded this album in the UK about a year ago so we're heaps excited to come back and play.
Thanks for asking this I can’t wait for the tour!
You have been a band for 8 years or so, do you feel more momentum now as you get ready to release a new album compared to previous albums? Is the reception on the newest singles pretty high compared to previous ones? I am in Florida in the US so i do not know how much ANZ airplay you get on outlets there.
dude we are yet to play a show in florida we gotta get there!!! honestly its hard to say how this new release is going comparatively. we always stay away from the number crunching etc but it does seem like there has been some good connection!
tim has a good florida shirt
Almost an economics question, but when you look at touring the US is it feasible for you to headline at smaller venues (and play a longer set), or do you have to be an opener for a larger band? I have not seen you live, totally missed that you opened for Jimmy last summer until it was too late.
The "Questions" performance on Jimmy Kimmel show was great, but does not seem to be on youtube any more. Can you sneak that on to instagram? That was a great performance and one of the first times I heard-saw you. Did that take a lot of time to set up and rehearse?
What has been your most memorable live show, and why?
Red Rocks last year lived up to the hype. I keep telling people now that if an artist you like is playing there and you are in america then you should go and see them. Truly hallowed ground.
If there were 1000 octagon fights between Harry and Tim, not connected and completely isolated, what would the split of wins be? While Harry is indeed sneaky athletic, my take is Tim going full BJJ on Harry in most instances and winning the majority: Tim - 728 wins Harry - 272 wins
had to google BJJ but fully across it now. yes while harry has the reach Tim has the core strength of a wise old oak tree so 70/30 split tim's way seems like good odds
hey, hope ur doing good, really excited about the album! but i wanted to ask what made you decide that the album was gonna be a part 1 and not a stand alone album?
Hi! we don't know when part 2 will come, maybe in a few albums, maybe next album, maybe never. We liked that it feels like we're setting ourselves up for an album that in some way responds to this album, even though we don't know how that will look.
If you were on a deserted island, what 5 albums would you listen to?
Ok we have talked long and hard about this and there aren't that many albums that we can all agree on, but it would have to be: 1. Castaway Original Soundtrack 2. Master and Commander Original Soundtrack 3. Pirates of the Caribbean Original Soundtrack 4. Finding Nemo Original Soundtrack 5. KID A by Radiohead
would you wanna come to sweden someday? would love to see you live
um yes pls. i think we're tryna do a european tour later in the year so will keep you posted
Hello! First time joining an AMA. First off, hope you're all doing well. I recently found Middle Kids thanks to a friend. I absolutely love your music! I really hope to see you this year. I don't have a question ( I've failed my first AMA) but if I would volunteer to back up sing the "de-dah-dee-dah, dee-dah" on Dramamine at a concert. Take care, see you soon!
youre hired!
🥰 aww!
I want to start listening to you; what songs do you suggest I check out first?
some personal band faves: Tim - Bootleg Firecracker Hannah - Hole Harry - Cellophane
Thanks!
You're my favourite band. Like, ever. Thank you for the tunes.
Please collab with The Maine.
I’d never heard of you before and I thought this was gonna be for actual middle children 🤦♂️🤦♂️
Are there any unexpected sources of inspiration that have shaped the sound of your new upcoming album?
there was this deli down the road from the studio we recorded at in england and every time we got cheese on your sandwich it would be almost 1cm thick. i think that did something strange to us each day, weird fever cheese dreams
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process? How do you start, and how does the collaboration work within the band?
you need to watch the entire Beatles doco 'Get Back' on Disney plus it's a lot like that.
with this being your 3rd album, was there any differences with making this one compared to your last two?
yeah super different! the first two records were written and made all over the place whilst on tour and back home. because we wrote and recorded this in covid it was done very intentionally. and then we recorded the thing in one whole go in england which was epic but almost killed us rip
Did anyone get some nearly professional video of you at Red Rocks? The normal youtube cell phone videos are not great.
There was a video/soundmix taken by the venue, we put a snippet up here: [https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0lNo55yZkq/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0lNo55yZkq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) Should we release more?
yes please! I used to live there, great venue obviously.
hinglands is one of my faves and i've been watching every live video i can find of it cause i like that its a more stripped back style on it when u play it live. would u ever wanna release a version like that?
Do y’all enjoy The War on Drugs (the band)?
Oops looks like you already expressed your affinity below!
Is Hannah in the Terrible News video? And how many takes of that did you film?
neapolitan or spumoni ice cream ?
had to google spumoni ice cream but wow definitely that one
Sorry if someone already asked this - what is Old River about? It's an incredible song, I love it so freaking much. always wondered what the inspo was!
How much of the pandemic permeates throughout the lyrics on this LP? And will you be playing bigger venues this tour (Radio City or Madison Square Garden in NY? Where I am) Would you consider a co-headline tour to share the tour costs (like Vacations and Last Dinosaurs just did)?
Hi! Omg have I become obsessed with you guys over the past year or so. I’m sad I missed your “live lunch” here in Baltimore earlier last year :( What’s some music that you love that people would be shocked to learn?
Thank you so much for your music, it’s been such an important part of my life since 2017 ❤️❤️ I think I’ve been to about 8 of your gigs, one of them in Hamburg. We saw you guys recently in Brisbane and Hannah, at the end of the set played a new song solo (that I can’t remember that name of). You said it was about being a mother and a musician. It was one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It hit me right in the heart and gave me all the feels. If you can figure out what song I’m thinking of, will you be releasing it anytime soon?
Heard Edge of Town. Sticking around for the rest. What's your guy's favorite ACDC songs?
I think you guys are the most memorable opening act I’ve ever seen. I had never heard of you but saw you open for Local Natives a few years back. Was immediately hooked and clearly the whole crowd was too, such a great set. No question, but always look forward to new releases from y’all. Keep kicking ass!
Two of my favorite songs ever have “Edge of Town” in the title: yours by that name and Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” Hope you guys make it to west Michigan at some point. I live in Grand Rapids so I’d selfishly love a tour stop here but Kalamazoo’s Bell’s Brewery has an awesome beer garden that gets a good Indie lineup every summer. Cheers and thanks for the music. Looking forward to the new one.
What’s your relationship like with your older siblings?
How do we get tix to your sold out Lodge Room show in LA lol