Family Worship Center’s new track Malibu by Midnight has a sort of roller-rink smoothness, an electric edge, a beautiful blend of can-we-call-it-disco, R&B, pop, and a flirtation with the ’70s and ’80s that goes beyond just, like, playing a sawtooth synth like everyone else does. In one word, it’s refreshing as hell.
Lyrically, we’re deep in immediately:
Stevie sits in a greased arcade
head in her hands, what a mess she’s made
The dance-with-skates-on groove juxtaposes beautifully with the sentiment hiding here and there in the lyrics: That things have gone terribly wrong, and honestly, it might be our fault. But the horns, the chorused lead guitar, the drums and bass, everything keeps ushering us forward. The song drives hard like we’re trying not to be ten minutes late again, but still having a good time, even if we know our boss is going to yell at us.
Normally, this is when I lay out a series of similar-sounding bands so you get a good sense of whether or not you should hit play, and we’ll still do that (great for fans of Lake Street Dive, Tame Impala, Olivia Dean). But honestly, if you have a heartbeat and don’t love this, you’re probably a pretty boring person. I’d guess you also can’t roller skate.
Take a listen to “Malibu by Midnight” below.
Written by Willow Stonebeck
