Middle Kids: Today We’re the Greatest review – a change of pace to mixed results

Today We’re the Greatest has more than its fair share of highlights and a strong set of lyrics, it’s just a shame Hannah Joy’s songwriting falls a little flat when put to the test with more intimate ballads.

The debut album from Australian trio Middle Kids has a special place in my heart. It was released in 2018 at a time when I was just beginning to discover the power of the album as opposed to only listening to singles. In many ways the release, Lost Friends, was perfectly made to open my eyes to the world of music that goes beyond the three minute thirty mark that is so effectively promoted by Spotify’s playlistification of today’s music industry. Here was an album with a clear beginning, middle and end, with the thumping opener Bought It eventually leading down to the devastating piano mini-ballad Hole at the album’s heart. The closer screamed “this is the end of the album” with its melodramatic heavy rock fireworks and somewhat soppy title So Long, Farewell, I’m Gone. Even a handful of years down the line, elements of Lost Friends now feel cheap, but it’s an album with the singles power to have me coming back again and again for more.

The band’s 2021 follow-up album Today We’re the Greatest sees them depart from the jangly, synth-laden indie rock of Lost Friends that I fell in love with in exchange for a softer, more folk oriented approach. The opener Bad Neighbours is a good indicator of what’s to come, with Hannah Joy crooning over some pretty if forgettable acoustic guitar chords. It’s a far cry from Bought It and honestly a bit of a disappointment; the last thing you want when starting an album is to be immediately lulled to sleep. Later on, Lost in Los Angeles has a similarly dreary feel once the novelty of the banjo has worn off.

That’s not to say TWTG is devoid of bangers. Cellophane (Brain) is a pleasant wake up call and reminder of the band’s gritty rock edge, this time with acoustic guitar adding to the growing ruckus. It’s also a smartly paced song, with the drummer Harry Day patiently waiting until the middle of chorus two to hit maximum volume. Lyrically Cellophane is one of the most interesting Middle Kids songs to date, with its comparison between “black umbrellas” and “silk white kites”, as well as pressing questions about running from your own problems. Underpinning Joy’s at times dismal imagery (“there’s nothing more sad than a man who cries in his car, blue helium light blinking again”) is an unsettling, wavering synth lead that pierces through the mix like a charging elephant. Sometimes that little hint of unease is exactly what a song needs to turn it from good to great. 

Not long later comes album standout Questions, an urgent piece of pop-rock that dissects what seems to be a collapsing relationship for Joy in the face of her partner’s alcoholism. The biggest surprise of the album comes with the entry of a thumping horn section – an exciting Middle Kids first. The riff is memorably powerful, the drumming is thrilling and Joy’s vocals sound as pained and passionate as ever. So far in their careers, Questions is Middle Kids’ best sortie into instrumentation beyond the traditional rock setup and I can’t hardly get enough of it. I just wish the horns made another few appearances to really put their mark on the album, rather than leaving Questions somewhat isolated.

Unfortunately, from here onwards TWTG struggles. Golden Star sags, Summer Hill’s melody is disappointing, Run With You is mind-numbingly repetitive. It would all be a little more bearable if all the best songs hadn’t been packed into the first four tracks, leaving a rather underwhelming loss of momentum past the 15-minute mark. I Don’t Care is a particularly jarring listen, with Joy lazily plastering the chorus with endless single-note repetitions of “I don’t fucking care I gotta do what I want to” over an embarrassingly tame, chugging two chord guitar backing. If Joy is going to repeat a phrase (and there are certainly worse phrases she could have chosen) she ought to at least make sure the melody and harmonies have something going for them. Musically I Don’t Care just winds up sounding like a lame children’s nursery rhyme.

Stacking Chairs is the one exception to the disappointing home stretch of TWTG, with a genuinely compelling sense of purpose and some refreshingly heartwarming lyrics (“when the wheels come off I’ll be your spare / When the party’s over I’ll be stacking the chairs”). It seems at last Joy has found some resolution to her struggles with loving a flawed character. The title track serves as the closer, although I’ll admit this somewhat bland piano bland hasn’t connected with me as much as So Long, Farewell, I’m Gone did three years ago. The melody is okay but Joy’s difficulty in reaching the higher notes with any force can easily get on one’s nerves. Again, Middle Kids have made a very obvious album closer, but Today We’re the Greatest feels more like a well-meant but dull country track that fails to bring up any emotion in me.

Middle Kids deserve praise for a convincing transition to a more acoustic, singer-songwriter sound – especially after the immense critical and commercial success of their heavy-hitting debut – but unfortunately the quieter cuts still sound like experiments rather than something more beautiful. Perhaps unsurprisingly, where the band has conformed to the Lost Friends formula they have found the most success in TWTG, and the real challenge moving forward for the band will be to both progress their sound and keep producing captivating music. Whether they achieve that with total success or not, it’ll be a while both I say so long, farewell to this wonderful and ever-promising little band.