Manic After Midnite

Singer-songwriter Manic After Midnite, or M.A.M for short, has a sound that can only be described as warm. You want to strip down to your tank top, take off your shoes, and kick back in front of a fan when you listen to it. And no, I’m not talking about in a “hot and steamy” kind of way but in a relaxing, inviting way. M.A.M.’s Soundcloud is mostly full of acoustic covers and a few original tracks that show off a more icy, celestial sound. But “The Chase,” her newest single, shows off a more fully evolved sound, one that belongs on radios, not sitting idly by in a Soundcloud playlist. With breathy soft vocals reminiscent of Janet Jackson’s Velvet Rope era, M.A.M. has captured a song that’s both familiar yet original. On Soundcloud the song is tagged as “planetary,” and to be honest, that explains it far better than I can. - The Absolute

Life is beautiful especially when you wake up to a voice like this floating through your speakers like the sounds of morning waves bouncing off the open windows of your newly bought beach house. Manic After Midnite’s “Faces” record dropped into our laps and with a nice upbeat yet dainty feel was the first thing we listened to while waking up most mornings. Don’t sleep on this. - Original Mattress Co.

I just found my new go-to soul artist in the Nashville based producer Manic After Midnite. There is little known about this Virginia native. In fact on her Facebook page it says that she is “best summed up to the likes of a seahorse; rarely do you see her, but you know she exists to some extent.”

Whether she exists or not is not really important as long as she keeps slinging dope ass groove.

Check out her latest single called “The Chase” below, and keep your eyes out for her debut. - The New LoFi

You could spend a life time reviewing and listening to musical artists and bands located, or relocated, to Brooklyn, and still never get to hear and absorb all of the talent the borough of New York City has contributed to indie and alternative rock, folk and whatever other sub-genre you can think of. While the newly formed Brooklyn “alternative soul/celestial” band, Manic After Midnite, has a pretty solid debut single to offer, we’ll reserve a more reliable, and fair, judgement once we’ve heard the other songs. One song is certainly shy of sufficient material to get a handle on an artist, but if the tragic beauty of “Faces (Can You Tell Me)” is an indicator of things to come, we’ll definitely be keeping tabs on MAM. In the meantime, there is this little number to hold over potential admirers. MAM draws influences from The Sylvers, Snowmine, Kings of Convenience, Solex, KING, and Selda Bagcan. - Indie Rock Cafe

Seattle based producer Suite45 had teamed up with Manic After Midnite to deliver a sweet sounding tune by the name of “Strut.”

Set over an old school sounding beat with cymbals that will make you bop your head with every hit, here’s to a collaboration worth pulling your inner flower child out for. -

'Faces', a sparkly retro offering from Manic After Midnite is brimful of funky beats, quasi-whispered vocals and a warm, familiar feel. Both dreamy and psychedelic, with an accessible pop sensibility, 'Faces' is a really lovely track. - Cracked Wax

We are happy to premiere Manic After Midnite‘s new single, “The Chase,” a funky, poppy anthem about creative differences and standing your own ground.

“…whatever people stand to create is a reflection of themselves in a particular moment and “The Chase” is just that. I love to work with people, but I have yet to find anyone who has a clue where I’m coming from creatively, so it’s lonely over here. There’s also this pressure to do things the [industry way] and I’ve never been interested in being on that schedule.” - The Daily Listening

Pillow talk whispers leftover from the night before bring new warm whispers that play about in the morning dew. - Impose Magazine

Lia B.: I am oh so excited that I got to interview this great artist. I found them while searching for some inspiration and new artists to cover. And I completely fell in love with their sound. The lead singers sweet vocals are unique in today's world of powerful pop vocalists. And their music makes you feel like your running through the stars. And i with their smooth, jazzy rhythms, you will drift off into the night.

Check out my interview "INTO THE STARS" with MANIC AFTER MIDNITE.

Lia B.: Manic After Midnite is a very interesting stage name? Where did it come from?

M.A.M.: It came to me late one evening when I was making a To-do list in TextEdit. I had a realization that the moments when I’m most exhilarated, inspired or pensive are after midnight, but before dawn. My best ideas are during the graveyard shift and I guess the way I feel about music is pretty manic.

I don’t think anyone knows I spend hours upon hours studying the trajectories, biopics, and discogs of the late and greats to the emerging peers that I’m influenced by. I’m always studying common denominators of successful people every single day. It’s an obsession, but only one that’s held internally.

Lia B.: How long have you been doing music for? How did you get into it?

M.A.M.: “I don’t think anyone knows [that] I spend hours upon hours studying the trajectories, biopics, and discogs of the late and greats - to the emerging peers that I’m influenced by.”
I’ve always been interested in music since I was in pampers. My mother had a pretty nice vinyl collection when I was growing up and she was forever singing around the house to the point where it was annoying. She wasn’t a professional singer, but I remember asking her about her aspirations and got the impression she didn’t feel confident enough to ever consider it on a professional level. I think I inherited my mother’s passion for music and my father’s taste.


The only reason I think I’ve come this far is because of my mother. She was the first person I harmonized with on silly songs and really made music curious and fun for me. When I asked to join band in school, she found a way to get an instrument for me. She also believed in me enough to convince my father to use their money to buy me my first guitar and amp.

I remember she said it probably wasn’t going to happen—like they weren't going to be able to afford it; then I came home from school one day and it was in my room. I was elated and shocked so much that it felt like a miracle, but when I look back on it now, it makes me want to cry. That was really a milestone for me—a God is real moment, haha.

To make a long story short, I've always been in music from an exploratory perspective. DIY on the real.

Lia B.: What are your musical aesthetics? What gets you inspired to write/ compose songs?

M.A.M.: I have a passion for “pretty music” even though the spectrum from which I love music is huge. This kind of music has all the “right” chord choices and exudes just the “right” emotion. “Right” is purely subjective. My inspiration comes from God, but not in the religious sense. I've been going through a period of enlightenment in the last 11 months and the place from which I begin to write always places me in a position to “show up”, instead of me consciously making things happen. I’m present in the process, but I'm only a tool.

“‘Right’ is purely subjective.”

Lia B.: Going off of the song “The Chase”, which I loved to pieces, it seems that you experiment with guitar in order to develop a richer sound. It’s a very smooth and jazzy song! I could definitely see myself dancing to it with a glass of wine on a rooftop in Paris. Haha! How do you use the guitar in your music? What draws you to the instrument?

M.A.M.: Awesome! When you go to Paris, take me with you! I’m really glad you enjoy it considering right before I released the track, I was on the verge of quitting music and throwing my hard drive into a river along with a few other things. I love guitar and I’m not sure why. When I write, a lot of the time it’s on guitar, so the original version of The Chase sounds different like most of my demos. I could probably release a “versions” EP of songs that are lyrically the same but originated from an acoustic sound and a completely different key in some cases.

Lia B.: One thing that drew me to your song “The Chase” was your vocals. They’re very soft and effortless. Why did you decide against using stronger voice? And who inspired you, vocally, with this song?

M.A.M.: Ha, if I had a strong voice, I’d probably use it. Or maybe I wouldn’t. Some of the choices I’ve made are due to stereotype avoidance; some are based on what I feel the song calls for. I actually have a bunch of demos with plenty of vibrato and trills and would love to have a Yukimi Nagano vibe, but I’ll stay in my lane.

Vocally, I don’t think I consciously look for inspiration anywhere, but I do study vocal deliveries that I enjoy. To be honest, I listen to a lot of male vocalists. I could probably talk forever about that, but I’ll save it.

Lia B.: If you could describe either yourself or your music using three words that start with the letter “E” what would those three words be?

M.A.M.: Evolving

Enigmatic

Ethereal - Thee Ethereal