Midland Promise ‘Honky-Tonk Truths’ On Upcoming Third Album

Midland’s third album The Last Resort: Greetings From will be released by Big Machine Records on May 6. It follows their recent EP of the same name and the track and video “Sunrise Tells The Story,” which will feature on the album, as will “The Last Resort” itself, also available now.

“It’s about more than the roots,” says Midland lead singer/guitarist Mark Wystrach. “Because that makes you think of something that’s buried, which this music shouldn’t be. It’s about creating country music that’s pure in a different kind of way, that draws on some of what’s been left behind but shouldn’t be. Some of these songs are pure Gary Stewart, others are the earliest Eagles stuff when they really were country.”

Adds guitarist and vocalist Jess Carson: “There are a lot of honky-tonk truths. Some of them are the way a guitar or steel twines around the melody, almost a counterpoint or counter-narrative. To us, the playing is as important as the vocals or the lyrics. It’s not just a big wad of sound, but how the tracks build to extract the song’s essence.

“It’s a different thing, but it lets us not just have a sound, but make the songs more than just the hook… We’re trying to have people lean in, listen to the rest of what’s going on, too.”

Bassist and vocalist Cameron Duddy notes: “We wanted ‘The Last Resort’ to be a track released before the album arrives because it’s kind of a manifesto for everything else. You know sometimes the last resort doesn’t mean you’ve run out of options, but more that you’ve decided you’re going for the place or the thing that’s going to set you free. That freedom of letting go and falling into space, giving it over to fate? That’s where real living begins…”

Pre-order The Last Resort: Greetings From, which is released on May 6.

The full tracklist, with songwriting credits, is:

1. The Last Resort | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
2. If I Lived Here | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
3. Two To Two Step | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
4. Take Her Off Your Hands | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
5. Sunrise Tells The Story | Jess Carson, Jessi Alexander, Aaron Raitiere
6. And Then Some | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
7. Longneck Way To Go (featuring Jon Pardi) | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley
8. Life Ain’t Fair | Jess Carson
9. King Of Saturday Night | Jess Carson
10. Paycheck To Paycheck | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Rhett Akins, John Osborne
11. Bury Me In Blue Jeans | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
12. Adios Cowboy | Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Mark Wystrach, Marv Green, JT Harding