MIDLAND - Old Fashioned Feeling - Big Machine Records

GRAMMY®-nominated trio Midland have never been shy about waving the banner of their Texas dancehall roots, injecting their neo-traditional style into the modern mainstream with songs such as “Drinkin’ Problem,” “Make A Little,” “Cheatin’ Songs,” and “Longneck Way To Go.”

Now teamed up with GRAMMY-winning producer Dave Cobb, the group releases their first new music in two years with “Old Fashioned Feeling.”

Written by the trio with Matthew Dragstream and Josh Osborne, the song carries a vibe that’s washed in an 80’s country essence that refreshingly takes us back to their debut album, transporting us to a dusty barstool through the cry of steel as the smoothness of Mark Wystrach’s lead vocal holds the missing you pain of the lyrics, perfectly bending in all the right ways to put a temporary mask over the hurt. 

Facing constant internal battles in the aftermath of a breakup while admitting that the memories still get to him from time to time, he turns toward the natural vice of alcohol to help him through it.

Cleverly using comparatives in the chorus to reference how the drink is not only helping him drown the nagging memories, but is also drifting his thoughts back to when times were better between them, he continually trails further down his buzzed rabbit hole of what was versus what is:

“That old fashioned feeling again

The bourbon is stirring

Slow as your memory's creeping in

Got me sipping on this

Midnight mixture of sweet times and bitters

That let you down easy

That old fashioned feeling again”

Confessing that he clearly knows this vice is only a temporary numbing to the pain and not a solid solution that will fix anything, he also pinpoints his need for it during the tougher nights and momentary tears, defining his drink of choice as his “love on the rocks” and “rose colored reverie.”

Anyone who has played the game of love and lost has absolutely been in this position of having to try and navigate through their hurt, and that’s exactly what makes country music so great; It’s ability to resonate through the speakers and strike the right heart chords with the listener.

In the case of “Old Fashioned Feeling,” combine that ultra-relatability factor with a brush of the throwback feel that many are clamoring for right now, and Midland has just expertly hyped the buzz for things still to come as they yet again become one of the hottest anticipated acts in country music.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis/Artwork c/o Big Machine Records) 

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