Middleman To Release Debut EP On December 2 Via

Instantly fizzing out of your speakers, MIDDLEMAN’s debut EP wastes no time in getting to the good stuff. The London-based trio have been quietly making a name for themselves on the city’s DIY punk circuit, winning over allies from Fucked Up’s Jonah Falco to Steve Lamacq. The band cite Mission of Burma as an influence, with post-punk noise and hardcore purpose underpinned by a steadily-accelerating sense of melody.

Cut Out The Middleman will be released on the 2nd December via Brainrotter Records on cassette and bandcamp. It will also be available on all streaming platforms. 

The EP was recorded at Walthamstow’s Fuzzbrain Studios by Ben Spence and mixed and mastered by Jonah Falco (Fucked Up, Career Suicide).

“The main thing we wanted to capture was a raw atmosphere as close to our live sound as possible”, explains Noah Alves. “Ben and Jonah knew us well before the recording process and had seen us live a few times so could really help us achieve what we were going for. Our influences are definitely present but I’d like to think we’ve added our own unique sound.’

Opening track “Train Man” starts off with Greg Sage guts’n’glory before melting into the sort of wracked chaos that might’ve knocked a young band into a deal with the late, great Homestead Records, once upon a time. Running with the baton, “Turn Away” sees them exploring dissonance and rollicking rhythms that pull them away from yer standard punk slop and towards something more ambitious, as does the slowed-down coda that brings out-and-out rager “Entropy” to a graceful close, like a parachute on a speeding race car.

Cut Out The Middleman displays many of the same qualities that prop up the early recordings by The Replacements, Unwound and Dinosaur Jr – specifically, it’s rough-edged, punk-centred music that points out wide-eyed in so many directions that it’s exciting to ponder where they might go next. It’s worth noting, on that score, that the EP’s excellent final track “One Day We Will Be Strangers” showcases a developing pop savvy that could well become their defining quality, in amongst so much addictive guitar scree. In the meantime, this is a selection of angular punk rock bangers that’ll whet your appetite for more. Cut Out The Middleman? Naw, cut him in!

MIDDLEMAN  have been playing shows on the DIY hardcore/punk scene since 2021 with the likes of Island of Love, Powerplant ,Glitterer, High Vis and Rixe.