Little Rock, Arkansas-based country band Midnight South has accomplished a lot in the three years they have been performing, earning two Arkansas Country Music Awards for Vocal Group of the Year and sharing stages with Kenny Chesney, Chase Rice, Dylan Scott, Randy Houser, Colt Ford, and more. With a country sound brimming with twang and grit and plenty of nostalgia, the fourpiece is known for its tight harmonies and big, radio-ready sound. We sat down recently with band members Jeremy Castaldo, Darin Davis, and Billy Lowe III to talk about their latest single, “Villains,” our new country music jam.
Hi, Midnight South! You have a terrific new single out called “Villains.” What can you tell us about this song? What inspired you to write it and what is it about?
Jeremy Castaldo: Hey y’all! Appreciate the kind words and excited for everyone to hear the song. We were pitched this tune by our producer, Aaron Gillespie, and immediately knew – yes, yes, YES… we have to cut this. It had the vibe we wanted for our next single and displayed that same nostalgic feel we have embedded in our music. The lyrics rang true to all of us. That’s important. It’s gotta be real. It’s gotta be honest. And this song checked all the boxes. In short, it’s about how fast time goes by and juggling the bad boy side we all tend to have inside of us. Staying on track, but still living life to the fullest.
What was it like recording this song? What was the vibe in the studio, and how did this song come together?
Billy Lowe III: It’s always a great time recording with Gillespie! I really enjoy this song specifically, and think it’s a great tune. I had been messing around with the intro and solo section at home, so when we got to the studio, a few tweaks was all it needed to be finalized. The song as a whole came fairly easy. Matt and Jeremy crushed the vocals on it. It’s one of my favorites.
What do you hope this song conveys to those who listen to it?
Darin Davis: I wouldn’t say it’s so much about conveying a particular feeling as it is about reminding people that we all have a bit of Jekyll and Hyde in us. There’s a little good and a little bad in everyone. As we get older, we tend to mellow out, but most of us in the band – man, we used to be hell-raisers, ha ha. This song is just a fun look back on when we were a little wilder, a little more carefree, and had fewer responsibilities. Like with a lot of our songs, the core feeling we’re aiming for is nostalgia.
If you look back over your career, you probably feel like quite a different artist now than when you began for a number of reasons – life experience, industry experience, studio and performing experience all factoring into that. Do different things inspire you now? Where do you tend to get your biggest inspiration from these days for the lyrics and the music?
Darin: Years ago, I started carrying a notepad and pen to capture ideas on the go. Today, I use my phone’s notes app, but I still transfer my thoughts to a notebook daily. There’s something raw and classic about the physical act of putting pencil to paper. Cliche alert: inspiration comes from everywhere, and maybe it’s just a random thought, like, “That would be a cool line,” my kids, or the way headlights pass through the van in a rainstorm when we are on the road. Lately, its been a lot of those fleeting childhood memories that seem to get fuzzier the older I get, so I’ve been attempting to immortalize what I can in lyrics. Recognizing inspiration is a muscle. Writing is a muscle. The more I exercise those muscles, the better I’m able to create outlets for inspiration.
Songwriting can be a really personal endeavor, yet when you release a song or an album or an EP, you share the music with so many people. How does this make you feel, and is it ever difficult to share songs widely like that? What kind of feedback do you get from fans who have connected with the music or had a song impact them in a deep and meaningful way?
Darin: For me – and I know I’m not alone in this as a writer – songwriting is an outlet. Some people paint, some people work on cars, or have really nice yards. For us, it’s songwriting. We have all had those songs that just seemed to articulate perfectly what we were feeling or have felt. It’s pretty cool to be part of that cycle and do that for someone else, like a musical circle of life (insert Mufasa reference here).
What has been the most exciting thing to happen for you this year?
Jeremy: This is a hard one. We have hit the ground running since we started this thing in the fall of 2021 and have done some huge things. We are blessed and thankful for it all. Coolest things this year though were performing for the second year in a row for 30,000 people at Gulf Coast Jam, winning an Arkansas Country Music Award for Vocal Groupof the Year again (second year in a row), and getting to be the headliner at a lot of our shows this year. We’re definitely thanking God for it all.
Got any tour plans? Where can fans see you on the road?
Jeremy: We have several shows throughout the rest of the year, and they can all be found on our website, www.midnightsouth.com. A few we’re excited about: we are back with Sister Hazel on November 9th inHuntsville, Alabama, and we’re also performing at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on December 1st. We have so much new music coming and can’t wait to share it with all of you!
Website & Social Media Links:
www.midnightsouth.com
www.facebook.com/MidnightSouthAR
instagram.com/midnight.south
www.tiktok.com/@midnightsouth
https://www.youtube.com/@midnightsouth8314
