This fourth and final single, which paves the way for the release of Midniter’s debut album, Xeno, is not only a gorgeous slice of alt-pop; it’s also a reminder to songwriters never to throw away any of their old ideas. Nic Pugh revisited an old piano tune he had written and used it to create the bookends of this song, adding a more direct synth-pop sound to hold sway in the middle ground.
The result is a gently dynamic song that grows out of atmospheric and ambient space until beats bubble up and synth grooves sweep us away on a shimmering clubland pop rush, the perfect interplay of poise and pace, deftness and dance vibes, before retreating back into those delicate sonics. Music becomes emotion; shimmering synth sweeps translate into feelings, and the sound echoes the affairs of the heart.
Although ‘I Could Love You’ has already seen the light of day in audio form, it now comes with a scintillating video that combines choreography, seemingly candid footage, and band performance into a sublime montage. If the lyrics seem fairly clear in their message, the video prefers more obscure but no less artful and elegant communication. Dancers swirl across the studio echoing the ebb and flow of the human heart, and a solitary performer personifies the central theme of unrequited love as she moves down the street. And then, Midniter, usually a solo project, is seen in silhouette as a three-piece. As with all great videos, this is art in its own right that goes far beyond merely selling the song.
With a month to go until the album is out, ‘I Could Love You’ is the perfect taste and tease of what’s to come; few discerning music fans, certainly not pop fans, could, I feel, come away from this seductive sonic experience and not want to know more. Xeno is where you can learn more, and it can’t come quickly enough.
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