''Antiphon'' is the fourth studio album by American

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band

Midlake Midlake is an American folk rock band from Denton, Texas, formed in 1999. The band consists of Eric Pulido, McKenzie Smith, Scott Lee, Eric Nichelson, Jesse Chandler, and Joey McClellan. In 2012, vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Tim ...

, released on November 5, 2013, on

Bella Union Records Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde. History After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twins ...

, in Europe, and ATO Records in North America. Recorded following the departure of vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Tim Smith, ''Antiphon'' is the first album to feature guitarist Eric Pulido on lead vocals, alongside new members Jesse Chandler (keyboards, flute) and Joey McClellan (guitar). Released to critical acclaim, the album reached number 39 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

Background and recording

In November 2012, vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Tim Smith departed from Midlake, in the midst of recording a fourth studio album. Following his departure, guitarist and backing vocalist Eric Pulido occupied his vacated role, noting, "We understood this band couldn’t offer Tim what he wanted... that he needed to do his own thing." Upon his departure, Smith offered to split the recorded material with both the band and himself, however, Pulido noted, "Of what we’d recorded, Tim had said, 'You can have this,' but what we couldn’t take with us turned out to be seventy-five per cent of the recording." The remaining members opted to start anew, recording ''Antiphon'' in six months. Pulido noted, "There were some growing pains, I won't lie. Obviously, when your singer-songwriter leaves, there's some transition that takes place. But we bonded together in a way that we had never done before." The subsequent writing and recording sessions found the band working in a more democratic and spontaneous method than in the past, with songs stemming from improvised jam sessions.

Writing and composition

Vocalist and guitarist Eric Pulido notes that the album's title refers to Tim Smith's departure: "This album is a response to what’s gone on with Tim. The original

Antiphon An antiphon (Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" and φωνή "voice") is a short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain. The texts of antiphons are the Psalms. Their form was favored by St Ambrose and they feature prominently ...

was an orator in Ancient Greece who was part of an

oligarchy Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...

that fought

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

. But we didn’t overthrow Tim! He’s not Antiphon." Pulido elaborated, "In a bigger way, it's kind of the plight of man. It's not about what happens to you, it's how you respond to it that you're defined."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Midlake albums ATO Records albums Bella Union albums