We Leave At Midnight – ‘Terror Flora’ Review
Posted: by Sean Gonzalez
Anytime music can leave my mind confused as to if I’m dreaming or not it’s worth checking out. We Leave At Midnight are a rock band out of Texas and they play simple songs layered with melody after melody that soar through time and space. Terror Flora is their newest EP and if this is what plants sound like, I can’t tell whether I should be terrified or trying to finally dive into botany with an open mind
Opening track ‘Everyone Laughs At Their Own Mistakes’ is an adventure just to listen to. The track sludges along at a moderate pace but seems to grow in sound and psychotic sounds as it comes to a close. The vocal approach gives off a malt shop appeal with a bit of the 70s relaying their drug tinged feel good vibe. There is almost too much going on at times, but this kind of melodic sensory overload has been welcomed before through bands like Spoon and The Flaming Lips. As the song reaches it’s final movement the song only pretends to calm down before exploding with rich pianos and vivacious drumming.
The classic rock influences are welcome, showing off what a of people consider “the good ‘ol days of music” with rich vocal harmonies and simple chord progressions. It is the layering of other instruments on top that add the indie rock feel which keeps it fresh. It also keeps it spastic and as unpredictable as possible. After the title track ends there is an interlude track entitled ‘Priest Mouth’ that plays. Upon my first listen I didn’t even know it was a separate entity to what was before it because I was convinced it was just part of the song.
‘Run To The Ocean’ is one of the more straight forward rock tracks on the record. It never takes a second to breathe and continues solid drum work throughout. The intricate patterns help make the gritty guitars pop more in a syncopated manner. ‘Sink Your Teeth’ might be the most ambitious song on Terror Flora. It showcases how We Leave At Midnight can indeed build upon different dynamics. The song starts off as a pseudo-lullaby before revealing a two-step drum groove about halfway through. The band then goes full speed until the closing seconds where a string section gets the final laugh and lets out a soothing note.
This EP is hard to classify and almost as hard to write about. It is refreshing yet familiar and tenacious yet free. It has a feel of oldies music while adding a great amount of variety to keep it new aged. We Leave At Midnight help take classic rock, shoegaze and indie music to a new place on this EP Terror Flora. A real complaint would be the music feels everywhere al the time and without much direction as the layers fly on top of each other without warning, but I think that adds to the variety of individuality this band surely possesses.