BY LESLEY HASTINGS
In a rare collaboration for the band from Dripping Springs, Texas, last Friday saw the release of Midland’s latest single “ Longneck Way To Go” which features Californian native Jon Pardi. And what a stunning collaboration it turned out to be, showcasing the band’s signature harmonies of course but also seeing band member Mark Wystrach swap verses with Jon as they sing about the reality of being left and trying to numb the pain in this heartbreak anthem.
Wystrach laughs when asked about the chemistry…” Jon knows his way around a rodeo and Bakersfield. He’s our kind of country. His voice cuts through a track like this; you know it him and you wanna sing along “ ….yep, you definitely can’t argue with that, listen and sing along here https://midland.lnk.to/LWTG_UKPR
Talking about the idea behind the collaboration, Midland’s Cam Duddy explains “ Sometimes killing the pain is a team sport, so when we were listening to ‘ Longneck Way To Go’ we thought bringing in John Pardi would ramp up the drink-til-you-drop of it all, because he loves those drinking and heartbreak songs as much as we do “.
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And Pardi says of the hook-up “ There aren’t many groups – or artists – who love the same real hard kind of country, but Midland can go lick for lick, longneck for longneck or Haggard for Haggard – so when they asked if I wanted to come sing with them, I was all in. This is the kind of country that not only honors the past but remembers that California kind of country I was raised on “.
The power-shuffle comes from Midland’s upcoming studio album “ The Last Resort: Greetings From “ due for release on May 6th and available to pre-order here https://midland.lnk.to/TLRGreetingsFrom
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And of course, it’s not long now until their European tour, which kicks off in Oslo, Norway on 14th May before UK dates which start in London on 21st May…..full details and ticket links here https://www.midlandofficial.com/tour