ToC Critic’s Pick: Midland, ‘Drinkin’ Problem’ [Listen]
If traditional country music is truly going to cover the radio in 2017, it's going to be by bands like Midland. The trio's "Drinkin' Problem" keeps the pretty of old-school country swing but dives dark into sorrow with no shame.
Buried within this familiar country sound is something exciting, young and hip. Visually their aesthetic is a true dog in a hat, a feature you can't look away from because without evidence it's clear something remarkable is coming. The Texans may not like to hear it, but to an outsider, their country duds come accented with just a little hipster flare.
The visual is important on this song, as only when watching Midland (as you can below) can you full appreciate the performance. It all feels and sounds very Texas, perhaps more Texas than anything released to the radio in two decades. Lyrically they've penned a simple country heartbreaker with a brilliant chorus that leaves one flipping through the annals of country music to see who they ripped off. So far it's a dry search.
All of the above could be simplified with a one easy sentence. Midland's "Drinkin' Problem" is a really good song performed by three men who look ironically cool doing it.
Did You Know?: "Drinkin' Problem" was co-written with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.
Listen to Midland, "Drinkin' Problem"
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Midland, "Drinkin' Problem" Lyrics:
One more night, one more down / One more, one more round / First one in, last one out / Giving this town lots to talk about / But they don't, what they don't know.
Chorus:
People say I got a drinkin' problem / That ain't no reason to stop / People saying that I hit rock bottom / Just cause I'm living on the rocks / It's a broken-hearted thinking problem, so pull one more bottle off the wall / People say I got a drinking problem, but I got no problem drinking at all.
They keep on talking, drawing conclusions / They call it a problem, I call it a solution.
Last call gets, later and later / I come in here so I don't have to hate her / Same old folks, same old songs / Same old same old blue neon / The same old buzz, just because.
They keep on talking, drawing conclusions / They call it a problem, I call it a solution / Just sitting hearing all my grand illusions / They call it a problem, I call it a solution.
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