Q&A: Middle Part is Looking for Connection Through Earnest Songwriting and Indie-Pop Anthems
EARNEST AND HONEST, BROOKLYN-BASED — Middle Part is writing coming-of-age anthems for the main character in us all. The artist, also known as Andy Selkōw, is pouring his heart into his music and creating dynamic nostalgia-inducing indie-pop tracks. His latest single, “Get Fixed,” finds him grappling with the process of aging and ultimately accepting it as another part of life, all over the backdrop of pop-punk–inspired drums and playful guitar licks.
“Get Fixed” is just a taste of what we can expect from Middle Parts' debut album, DISRUPTOR, set to release in March.
Middle Part’s main goal in creating music is to find connection. Making music for him is like jutting out an outstretched hand in the dark just to see who might grab on. Selkōw finds this connection in many places before filtering them into pointed, driving indie-pop tracks. The starkest difference between his new tracks and his previous work is the presence of collaboration.
Selkōw began Middle Part as a creative outlet to combat isolation while living in Alaska from 2017–2019. Fast forward to the present and Selkōw finds himself welcomed to Brooklyn by the Bushwick music scene. Surrounded by friends and new creatives, his writing process has evolved from solo bedroom writing projects to full sessions with multiple musicians, as they get together to plan writing trips and focus on music in a communal space.
You can feel the sense of connection he’s trying to create through these tracks in the way the guitars and drums play off one another. It's as if every instrument is having a lively conversation and they'd love for another voice to chime in.
Through Middle Part, Selkōw is working to connect himself, his music, and his listeners. Together, the goal is to figure out the nuances of growing up and coming to terms with our place in it all. To start to put the pieces together, Luna spoke with Middle Part about their creative process, community, and debut album. Read the interview below.
LUNA: What do you think it is about creating music that allows you to be more vulnerable and confessional than you might be in day to day life?
MIDDLE PART: I heard somebody once say “music is decoration for a moment in time.” I think music makes communicating vulnerability a lot easier to swallow because music highlights the complexity that we may often miss when only hearing words. It's another dimension added to the overall message and emotion that the artist is trying to deliver. Like good poetry, I think we all value when an experience that may seem so hyper-personal can be divulged to us in a handful of words, and suddenly we find ourselves a little less alone.
LUNA: You label your upcoming album as a “depiction of insanity” as well as something that could soundtrack a coming of age early 2000s movie. Is there something innately insane about the experience of coming of age especially now that you think helped inspire the concept of this album?
MIDDLE PART: I think now could be the worst time to come of age. Basic human needs seem to be less and less accessible, and the mainstream continues to debase itself more and more, valuing monetary return over thoughtful art. The tonal difference between a "coming of age comedy" from the 2000s and now is starkly different, and probably for good reason.
Bridging the gap probably was subconsciously motivating the sound of this new record. We channeled music we love from the ’90s and new millennium while also trying to create something fresh and exciting. The visual side of the record is also heavily inspired from that era. We referenced directors like David Fincher, Gregg Araki, and David Lynch who we believe have a certain knack for distilling a certain paranoiac and surreal truth.
LUNA: What do you hope listeners will take with them after hearing and interacting with DISRUPTOR?
MIDDLE PART: It probably sounds a bit conceited to ask for something like this, but I hope that the listener walks away with the same feeling that we had when we first heard our favorite records. I'm proud of this record, and I feel confident that this album is the most honest and true distillation of what is this project's spirit. I hope whoever listens to this record enjoys the sonics we channeled and walk away feeling a little more whole from hearing the words.
LUNA: It sounds like the visuals of this album are going to play an important role in the project. Can you tell us more about what you find interesting in the aesthetic of the MTV era and how it relates to the story you’re trying to tell?
MIDDLE PART: The record's themes span a perspective that observes both the present day and the past. At the heart of this record is a conflict between the wants and needs of when you're young against the same when you're older. The "golden era" of MTV is definitely part of our past, and a lot of our influences were spawned from that period. There's a certain timelessness to those aesthetics, and we utilize it as a base for reinvention. Artists from that era also had a certain penchant for confessional material that I think we identify with also.
LUNA: How do you feel about the artistic community throughout Brooklyn? Does being a part of it help inspire any of the music you create or influence how you collaborate?
MIDDLE PART: Brooklyn's music scene is diverse and you can't place it in any one box. If there's any through line in it then it would be that artists here strive for earnestness rather than aim to sound like someone else. Everyone we collaborated with on this record come from the New York scene and all of our projects differ creatively and aesthetically, but we all come together to make something that elicits a personal response rather than an audience reaction.
LUNA: Follow up, what's your favorite place to play in the city?
MIDDLE PART: Elsewhere is definitely a favorite. We've played two out of the three stages they have, and everyone that works there is really dedicated to putting on great live events.
LUNA: What’s on the horizon for Middle Part in 2024?
MIDDLE PART: We have more new songs and visuals on the horizon along with our new record, DISRUPTOR, due for a March release!
LUNA: If you could wake up tomorrow and be an expert at anything that isn’t music, what would it be?
BZ: I think it would be cool to wake up as an expert winemaker. Living out in the country, smashing grapes, and sipping the year's harvest sounds like a pretty nice life. I listened to an interview with actor Sam Neill and that's all he does between movies. It sounds like he's got it figured out.
AS: I’d be an expert builder and slope junkie. Building A-frames and cabins, throwing myself down a mountain every night after work in celebration of a hard day’s work with my friends who enjoy shitty beer and a good laugh.
