Midland follows up last year’s solid Through Motion EP with another slick package of subtly refined house on Aus Music. But where he has sometimes — unfairly, from a musical standpoint — been associated with bass music (he and Pearson Sound are housemates, and once released a 12″ together), this EP should go some way to solidify his gently adventurous take on house music. First up comes “Tape Burn,” where a refined combination of contact mic clicks, submersed kicks, and live-sounding cymbal work make up the rhythmic backbone, while a warming set of chords slowly build. A decent enough early set filler track, albeit somewhat anonymous and lacking in distinct personality. “Placement,” however, is magnetic — and undoubtedly the centerpiece here. A fractured and emotive sensibility prevails, with hyper-detailed layering of percussion and a whimsical melody relayed through the chord progression.
“What We Know” incorporates a tougher palette including a particularly well-rounded kick pattern and cut up vocal. There is also a pleasingly oblique edge to the track, the main melodic hook remaining filtered and hidden before bursting into life during the epic breakdown. “Tail Ender” rounds up this set on a moody, bassier tip with rain samples, shuffling kick and snare, and acidic stabs bent wildly out of shape. Midland has carved a decent and keenly paced EP here; its solid, dependable and dramatic house shows a maturity that belies his slim back catalog. And while the beats may be a little too smooth for some, this EP provides both a calm counterbalance to some of Aus Music’s more leftfield platters, and a neat stake in the sand that will leave nobody in any doubt as to where Midland’s creative allegiances rest.
