Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single from NYC-electronic act, MIDNIGHTCHOIR, called “Love Crimes.” The band comes from the mind of Patrick Bobilin, who is a political activist and he shares his unique perspective on the world through great synths and eccentric guitars. The song comes from MIDNIGHTCHOIR’s upcoming LP, Loverboy Molotov, that releases everywhere music is sold on July 14th. I was also able to catch up with Bobilin for a brief interview below.
Tell us about the “Love Crimes” video and what do you want your fans to take away from your track/video?
The song is built on a retro groove and I wanted the lyric video to reflect that. I want people to have something that reflects the mood of leaving a club at 2 AM unsatisfied. “Love Crimes” is about not giving up on your love, loving people who show you emotional availability, and how fear will leave you lonely.
What was your mindset when going into conceptualizing, writing, and recording it? Did you have any initial motivations or goals from the beginning that guided this LP?
Working on the LP Loverboy Molotov, I brought together years of listening to 80s goth and industrial music and 7 years spent on music hiatus while getting involved in local politics and running for office a few times. The goal was to create something that resonates with people who love that sound while also filling in what seems like a big gap with few artists directly or elegantly tackling the socio-political crisis we find ourselves in now. I hope that I managed to be elegant.
How does your past political involvement play in the making of this record and the new single?
My political involvement gave me the confidence to play the sort of world-weary goth crooner that is close to the reality of who I’ve become. I’m disillusioned by politics as most of the country is but I’m not giving up. As my therapist told me when listening to “Molotov”: “You seem to keep repeating ‘molotov’ over and over to say ‘I’m still here. I’m still protesting.'” He’s right! There are no great political anthems for the next generation of protestors that signals the intensity of their rage and distrust that “everything will be okay”. Their friends and lovers are in danger. Our family is in danger. Voting won’t save us and the kids know this. They know only love and solidarity can save us.
With the rest of this LP in mind, what can listeners expect and how does this single, as well as the LP’s recently released single, serve as an introduction?
I lean heavily on my sources: the 80’s New Romantics, early Goth, and Industrial/EBM artists of that era. My one issue is that bands like Sisters of Mercy and Depeche Mode only imply their politics. I don’t want Proud Boys trying to claim my music. I want to play a show and know that no one is going to be shocked that songs like “Rising Tide” are about the political violence being done to our trans and queer family. Songs like “Molotov” have already told them that. But I also want people to dance, have sex, and fall in love, which is why I created singles like “Love Crimes”. In the spirit of Emma Goldman, a song I’ve recorded for the next album states “You can keep your revolution if we can’t dance to it, because we’re not going out on our knees. We’re going out on our feet.”