There’s beauty in going back to the basics, and Midtown Dickens understands this concept. Or at least the concept of putting out some cool, bright blue vinyl. In the wake of the recent re-release of “Oh Yell!,” the Durham duo’s 2007 album, Diversions Editor Linnie Greene sat down with the pair to chat — and joke — about the band’s goals and expectations.
Diversions: What was the impetus for releasing “Oh Yell” on vinyl?
Kym Register: Our friend Alex [Nathan] had the project in mind just because he’s amazing and wanted to make it happen, so it was his project. He passed away and Mel [Thomas, of 307 Knox Records] wanted to continue the project. So it’s his big idea.
Dive: Did you make any changes to the record in its new form?
KR: We dropped a couple of hits.
Catherine Edgerton: Meaning, made them happen. The record’s going to drop today — this is important jargon. Scott Steele was a cardboard-capped, Nashville big player whose radio hits were going to “drop.”
KR: We had a tour with this guy in Johnson City [Tennessee], and he kept saying during his two-hour long opening set that his record was going to drop, and his hits were about to drop all over the radio. So anyway we took a few songs off and we added some.
CE: We added a snapshot of time.
KR: Yeah, I was going to say, we captured…
CE: — a snapshot of debauchery
Dive: What is Midtown Dickens working on right now?
CE: The new one!
KR: We’re working on our new record, and —
CE: It’s called “The Brood From Hell.” It’s called “The Brood ‘Tude.”
KR: A new emo record. So far Will [Hackney]’s the only one with songs. Just kidding — it’s going to be like most of our songs, and we’re trying to go in to get Scott Solter to record it in October or something, barring major illnesses and babies and things like that.
Dive: Any goals for the future?
KR: Catherine left on this one, that’s great. “Kym, what are your band’s goals for the future?” Our goals for the future are to keep the swear jar alive in the tour van.
Dive: What’s a swear jar?
KR: When you swear you put a quarter in it. And to, I don’t know, work a lot alongside of all the musical geniuses in our community, like Megafaun, Mount Moriah, and to — last one needs to be a good one. Play a game of kickball with — no, no, no. Maybe to play a game of whiffleball with Megafaun.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
