As we slip out the back door of 2023, I feel like someone who has just snuck out of a bad party without saying goodbye, a little relieved to be free. Which is to say that, whilst it won’t register on the scale of 2020, I won’t particularly miss this year.
With that in mind, Kate Schroder’s new single, Midfall, feels like a suitable soundtrack to not just round out 2023, but kick off 2024. The song bristles with an energetic sense of self-reflection, nostalgia, sadness and just a little hope for the future. Describing the Midfall, Kate says:
‘I was inspired to write this song after a string of bad decisions and wrong relationships. Wondering if the attraction to rollercoasters and chaos was a part of me at my core, or just a product of youth?
‘Now, this song has a nostalgic element to me and I also see it as a reflection on all of my past-selves (that often feel like past lives). And trying to accept and love them all.’
The cool synths melodies and Schroder’s vocal in the verse give Midfall a somewhat melancholic opening, which establishes a necessary emotional baseline. In the chorus, bass tones, chunky beats and a soaring vocal performance hint at the acceptance Kate references… Music as a form of healing, exactly the sort of sentiment I carry with me as we enter a new year, the possibilities it holds still unknown.
Here’s to a little balance, and to acceptance.