Michael Marcagi - Midwest Kid EP

Michael Marcagi - Midwest Kid

4.2

Rating

4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

Very good storytelling
Intimate, personal songs

Flyctory.com Cons

Limited range on the melodic side

With Keep Me Honest, I already featured Michael Marcagi once. The song was part of my Songs of the Week as of 13th December 2024. About four months later, he releases his sophomore EP Midwest Kid. Time to have a deeper listen into his music.

Michael Marcagi – About The Artist

Michael Marcagi was born on 3rd March 1992 in Cincinnati. The alternative Americana singer-songwriter initially was part of the band Heavy Hours, before turning solo. In February 2024, he released his debut EP American Romance. Two single releases were extremely successful. The Other Side has been streamed 140 million times on Spotify. The opening track Scared To Start was even much more successful, being listened to over 630 million times on that platform only.

Michael Marcagi – Midwest Kid – Track by Track

The five track EP lasts 17 minutes.

1. Wish I Never Met You (feat. Wesley Schultz)

Three songs of Midwest Kid have already been released. The opener Wish I Never Met You and the closing song are new listens. This one feels to fit into the (still rather limited, but high quality) songbook of Marcagi. A nice story and a fine melody, somewhere between folk and pop define this one. It just feels a bit too short to me.

2. Follows You

Follows You has a stronger folk touch than the opening song. Again, Michael Marcagi does not need a huge bunch of instruments to present his messages. The song is full of struggle, which is characteristic for his generation. A nice one, even though it cannot connect to his big hits of the first EP.

All my friends are getting married
I don’t even have a place to call my own
Since the day I turned eighteen
I lose myself down every road
Everything I thought I buried
Everything I thought I killed oh it just grows
In my head and every hallway
Yeah it’s in my blood it’s in my bones

3. Midwest Kid

And all my fears
I can’t let go
And I’ve been holding on
For way too long
And you don’t believe me
You never did
I’m just another broken messed up midwest kid

The next listen is the title track of the EP. The song has a comparably strong presence on the instrumental side, while it also comes with the straight, personal songwriting style of the US-American artist. I really like this one.

4. Flyover State

And all the lies that I was told in the halls of Catholic school
They say you’re only gonna burn your soul if you don’t follow the rules
And maybe I should pick the lock on these invisible chains
Blame it on my family, but maybe I’m just one and the same

I really like the straight, really intimate way Michael Marcagi is sharing his story. In the chorus, he is stating But I’m stuck in a flyover state of mind. The song has a great radio potential to me – even though the streams so far haven’t been in line with that.

5. Stick Around

The album closes with a beautiful love song. It is about appreciating a person, loving his different perspectives – but also being somehow dependent on her. Marcagi does this song in his typical way of a folk singer-songwriter, having a fine pop touch, especially when there is a clapping rhythm in the background.

Michael Marcagi – Midwest Kid – Spotify:

Here is the EP on Spotify:

Michael Marcagi – Midwest Kid – Track by Track

The five Midwest Kid songs strike with their lyrics mainly. Michael Marcagi dares to be very open minded about the struggles he is facing – and that leads to some very intense stories he is sharing. Maybe also their topics demand for a certain monotony, but I would love to have some more surprising elements in his music. It would be a shame if, just melodically, you get tired of the Michael Marcagi style one day.

Favorite Song: Stick Around