Highly Suspect is back! Not that they’ve been MIA for that long. Really, their third full-length album, MCID, only came out in 2019, but that pandemic has made that feel like a lifetime. It also doesn’t help that the band never got to fully tour on that album. All in all, that makes The Midnight Demon Club feel like a long time coming.
And boy do they deliver! In my opinion, this might be their strongest record to date! As you’ve read before, all of their singles were very eclectic and all certified bangers. After just one listen-through on the album, I still say that “Ice Cold” reigns supreme, but title track, “Midnight Demon Club,” is making strong arguments for the top honor. From the get-go, I thought opening track, ‘The Sound” was a really strong start to the rest of the 12-song effort. I also learned in a recent interview that the drums were recorded almost like a rap song would because of drummer Ryan’s arm surgery recovery. It’ll be interesting to see if this one makes the live set on their tour later this month. I thought “Love Like This” was another great song off the record, and they managed to end the record just as strong as they started it with closing track, “Evangeline.”
As eclectic as I thought the singles were, they really all got tied together by the songs in between. Most of the album felt like a natural progression as each song came up. “Wild Eyed Son” was perhaps the red-headed stepchild on this record, solely because it sounds nothing like the rest of it. A la “Arizona” from MCID, this song takes a more striped back approach featuring the acoustic guitar and Rich’s vocals. I liked the switch up, but I knew my sister wouldn’t be a fan. And hey, as long as it doesn’t distract someone from liking the rest of what the album has to offer, then who cares. Even the most awkward song, “Cool Kids,” didn’t manage to turn me off. Sure, it’s a little corny, but the message is important and I hope a lot of younger people hear it someday.
Overall, The Midnight Demon Club is a great success and I cannot wait to see these guys again live soon. I’d say if you liked MCID, this is a little less exploratory and a little more true to form, but it still takes risks, and that makes it exciting. Give it a listen!