Middle Kids

Sydney-based trio Middle Kids emerged in 2016 with their debut single “Edge of Town,” an introspective yet robust blend of indie pop and rock that gained early traction after Elton John championed it on air. Their first full-length album, Lost Friends, appeared in 2018 and climbed to number ten on the Australian charts. After extensive international touring the band reconvened for Today We’re the Greatest, released in 2021 and honored with an ARIA Award for Best Rock Album. Throughout 2023 they issued several preview singles for their next project, among them the hit “Dramamine,” before unveiling Faith Crisis Pt. 1 in early 2024.

Classically trained pianist Hannah Joy and multi-instrumentalist Tim Fitz crossed paths in 2014, after which Fitz took on production duties for her solo recordings and joined her live band. Once Joy had issued a run of independent solo tracks, the pair invited drummer Harry Day—a Sydney Conservatorium of Music graduate in Jazz Performance—to complete the lineup in 2016, by which point their writing process had grown fully collaborative. The three committed their first song, “Edge of Town,” to tape before ever performing live. Radio exposure arrived swiftly when John broadcast the track on his Beats 1 program, added it to his public playlist, and declared himself a fan; further visibility followed after Middle Kids won FBI Radio’s Northern Lights competition, securing a slot at Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavík.

Eager to release an EP, the band assembled material such as “Doing It Right,” cut at Parliament Studios alongside “Edge of Town” and additional garage recordings made by Joy and Fitz. The resulting six-song Middle Kids EP surfaced on Domino and EMI Music Australia in early 2017, its lo-fi textures paired with expansive pop melodies earning a week at number 26 on the Australian album chart. The remainder of the year was spent on the road, including support dates for Cold War Kids across the United States and appearances at SXSW and the Great Escape Festival. Lost Friends arrived in May 2018 and reached number ten at home.

While supporting Bloc Party on a European run that October, the group released “Salt Eyes,” tracked at Ryan Adams’ PAX-AM studio and later featured on the May 2019 EP New Songs for Old Problems. Later that year they tracked their sophomore album in Los Angeles with producer Lars Stalfors, known for his work with Cold War Kids and HEALTH. Joy and Fitz had married by the time Today We’re the Greatest appeared in March 2021; it peaked at number five on the Australian pop chart and earned the ARIA for Best Rock Album. The following year the band relocated to Bournemouth, England, to begin sessions for their third album with co-producer Jonathan Gilmore, whose credits include the 1975 and Beabadoobee. A series of singles emerged across 2023, among them the easy-grooved “Bootleg Firecracker” and the rousing “Dramamine,” culminating in the February 2024 release of Faith Crisis Pt. 1.