Midlake’s Sixth Album Isn’t ‘Far’ From Release

Midlake (photo: Shaina Sheaff)

Just in time for more fall-like temperatures, Texas-reared Midlake are back with another dose of refined folk rock on A Bridge to Far, due Nov. 7 from their own Midlake Records. The follow-up to 2022’s For the Sake of Bethel Woods is led by first single “The Ghouls,” an in-studio video for which can be seen below.

A Bridge to Far was produced by Sam Evian and boasts guest appearances by Madison Cunningham, Hannah Cohen, and Meg Lui. And yes, the band are aware of the potential for confusion based on the spelling of the album’s name, which they assure is “not a typo” but rather a means to “explore the hope, belief and ultimate path to something or somewhere greater, despite the circumstances. Escapism can be a double edged sword but the desire is to encourage it for good.”

As for working with Evian, who is known for his collaborations with Cohen, Cass McCombs and Big Thief, Midlake’s Eric Pulido offers, “to just play in the room together and capture an authentic interpretation of songs is a great joy, and on this album we did just that. Stylistically, there’s familiarity in places we’ve been as a band in the past, as well as new places.”

He continues, “the reference and inspiration is Midlake. This album is less about referencing someone else’s sound and more about sounding like us.”

The group has only played live a handful of times since 2023 and just once this year, but will be back in action in Texas on Sept. 27 for the Hoodoo Mural festival in Amarillo, Nov. 14 in Austin and the following day in Fort Worth.