The debut EP from Luke Middleton, a rising Alternative singer-songwriter, tackles heavy themes such as depression and mental health, while still navigating towards the light. nothing ever after was produced by Nathan Darmody (Allstar Weekend), and rocks along with great pacing and memorable moments. This EP, in particular, draws from Middleton’s time as an infantryman in the US Army and tackles some pretty heavy topics ranging from the process of him readjusting to life post-service, the emotional trauma and mental health challenges that he’s faced and has been working to overcome. With a sound that ranges somewhere between the brooding rock of Stabbing Westward paired with the vocals of Post Malone, Luke Middleton’s future looks incredibly bright.
After a brief introductory track to set the stage for the EP, Middleton blasts into the electronic-tinged “God, Save Us All.” The song starts off cautiously, but Middleton gets his footing in the chorus as he mentions, “The darkness surrounds me.” The song is reminiscent of early Linkin Park, yet it feels modern and offers a fresh take on the alt-rock genre. Lead single “wherearemyfriends” features Nathan Darmody on the track, and showcases the impressive vocal range that Middleton has. The song works best when the guitars are meshing with Middleton’s vocal croon and he lofts above the heavy lyrical themes with ease.
”Bones” features an artist called sace6 and it keeps the material incredibly moving and interesting as it unfolds. Middleton is putting his best foot forward on dark songs like this to make sure he makes the most of his moment on his debut EP. The EP closer of “Kerosene” features another collaboration, this time with Eric Jafet & Xstitch, and it rocks along in a similar nature to bands like Chevelle, paired with the crisp vocal delivery of early-Three Days Grace. Middleton does a nice job of cementing his brand of rock music on nothing ever after, and will be a key artist to watch from this point forward.