One Way Ticket to Midnight is the new album release from Denver, USA-based alternative rock band Mainland Break. It’s something of a concept album, taking the listener through the course of a lonely, reflective night.

By Graeme Smith

Naturally, the journey begins at sundown, and with the track Calling After. It’s a bright and breezy start and its jangly rock arrangement is coloured with a golden sense of nostalgia in its lyrics. They paint a vivid picture and soon you come to realise that not all is peachy, and there’s a touch of the dark there, much like when a long summer evening is coming to an end.

Portland keeps things upbeat but introduces a soulful wistfulness, reminiscent of The Smiths. Split Time rumbles on at a pleasing, dreamy pace while Talking in the Cinema is brimming with shimmering reflectiveness and intimate storytelling. The Ranger is lively and adventurous. A building intro explodes into a twinkling indie rock arrangement that closes the album’s first half.

Title track One Way Ticket to Midnight provides a moody highlight, opening with driving bass and drums before being augmented by echoing guitars. Replacements follows with vividly poetic lyrics and a sense of regret. All Night diverts into a throwback style that wouldn’t be out of place in the ’80s/early ’90s post-punk era. Lucky Miles keeps the party going before Memory Fades closes the album. There’s something triumphant about its folk-infused rock arrangement. It’s the perfect send off.

Mainland Break’s new album is a wonderful mix of emotional storytelling and bright indie rock. There’s a compelling range of feeling in it and the decision to have its individual tracks explore a wider journey means it works well as a whole. It’s an album you simply have to listen to from start to finish, leaving all distractions aside.

One Way Ticket to Midnight was produced by Mark Anderson, mixed by Joey Oaxaca and mastered by Dave Cooley. You can give it a listen below.