King Calaway: ‘Midnight’ – EP Review

King Calaway’s new EP, Midnight is out now, August 27th on all streaming platforms. Check out our full review and listen to the brand new music below.

After nearly a two-year hiatus, boyband turned country group, King Calaway has released brand new music; their four-track extended play titled Midnight is out now, August 27th on all streaming platforms via Stoney Creek Records.

King Calaway is a 5-piece band comprised of original members Caleb Miller, Chris Deaton, Simon Dumas, Chad Michael Jervis, and Austin Luther. They made a splash into the country music scene when they released their debut project Rivers (produced by Ross Copperman and Robert Deaton) in October of 2019. The project featured a mix of romantic love songs, agonizing heartbreak ballads, and fun, pop-inspired tracks, including the top 50 single “World For Two.” The group brings the same energy and vibe with these four new tracks, “Homegrown,” “More People,” “Heartbreaker,” and “Good Time To Me.”

King Calaway tried something on this EP that they didn’t on their debut album; write their own songs. Chad Michael Jervis penned the first track, “Homegrown,” with Kevin Griffin. In this southern-rock anthem, the singer proclaims he can’t wait to head home to his girl after a long time away. The bridge features an extended electric guitar solo.

“Yeah it’s been a long road, need a little homegrown // Little bit of you is all I really need, some of that small-town company // Got a southern summer night, where you dance to make a fuse ignite”

The next two tracks were co-written by Dumas; “More People” and “Heartbreaker.” The former is a calm, acoustic tune in which the band describes what kind of people we need more of in the world—ones who learn to forgive, call a friend on their busiest day, get to know strangers by inviting them over for a beer, and would pay for a single mother’s groceries.

“Heartbreaker” is a very produced track about a woman who only uses guys when she’s lonely. The man in the song gives in to her beauty, even though he knows she will just break his heart in the end. The verses give off an old-western vibe with its backing strings and steel guitar. 

The final song features rising female artist, Lainey Wilson and was penned by Nashville stars such as Corey Crowder (Florida Georgia Line), Steven Lee Olsen (“Blue Ain’t Your Color”), Russell Dickerson, and Lady A’s Charles Kelley. “Good Time To Me” has classic country sounds with heavy bass and percussion. King Calaway and Wilson paint the picture of a perfect night at the bar. Her drawl in the second verse and chorus adds to this authentic honky-tonk feel.

“And it sounds like a good time, like music to my beers // Like the soundtrack to a good night, that’s all I want to hear // I love the sound of neon buzzing, whiskey pouring in my drink // If it sounds anything like that it sounds like a damn good time to me”

The band celebrated the release of Midnight with a live show at the Brooklyn Bowl Nashville last night. 

Midnight is the result of many months spent diving into new creative and sonic spaces,” the band said in a recent press release. “We carefully crafted these songs with our live show in mind, and it’s only fitting that we get to share them for the first time live from Nashville.”

Midnight Tracklist

  1. Homegrown (Chad Michael Jervis, Kevin Griffin)
  2. More People (Simon Dumas, Ryan Lafferty, Tina Parol Gemza)
  3. Heartbreaker (Simon Dumas, Neil Medley, Dave Cohen)
  4. Good Time To Me ft. Lainey Wilson (Charles Kelley, Russell Dickerson, Corey Crowder, Steven Lee Olsen)

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Midnight is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.