10. August 2026
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Spotlight - Flyctory.com Interviews

Spotlight – Flyctory.com meets Midland (August 2026)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

This one is indeed delayed: originally, I planned to have a chat with the US American country band Midland right before they released their album Stages in June 2026. There have been multiple delays, so that I finally share our chat some two months later. Nonetheless, the interview reflects the time before album release. Hope you still like this interview with the iconic Texas neotraditional country act.

Midland – Stages

 

Spotlight – Flyctory.com meets Midland

FLYC: Stages – a new album coming up. Are you rather feel nervous about how people like it – or relieved that the work towards it is done?

Midland: The feeling is more of relief anytime we reach the release date on an album. It’s always a long process, a couple of years at least. So it always feels good to get it out there for people to see what we’ve been working on.

FLYC: In how far is Stages a new stage, a new era in the Midland story?

Midland: We’re over 10 years in on this band, I think that’s something we’ve been thinking about a lot lately. This album is in a lot of ways a reflection of our beginnings but also our growth over the last 10 years. We’ve got a lot more experience under our belt now.

FLYC: When did you in fact start working on and forming the album? The first solo single, Glass Half Empty, has already been released in May 2025.

Midland: We started working on this album over two years ago. Actually the first song we worked on was the duet with MacKenzie Carpenter, I Wish You Would.

FLYC: Did you at that time already know you are working towards an album – or do you first collect new songs and then see whether they form a nice set, a nice story?

Midland: It’s not long after we release an album that we already start thinking about the next one, so anytime we are writing or working on new music, I think it’s with an album in mind.

FLYC: By the way, mentioning the story of an album. What is the story of Stages?

Midland: The story of Stages is really our own journey, going back to the Sonic Ranch recordings we did in El Paso. I think there are a lot of similarities to that album, this is the story of our journey from then till now.

FLYC: Nowadays, the success of an artist is rather measured by individual songs, by volume of streams, playlist appearances. How important is the concept of an album to you nowadays?

Midland: We think of ourselves as an album band. We put a lot of thought, time, and effort into building the landscape of each album. We want to tell a story, to take you on a journey. The songs should stand on their own but work together to take you to a place.

FLYC: On the other hand, you created a strong branding. Midland sounds like Midland, also on the new album. The songs are not tracks which could be sung by any other artist as well. How do you maintain that?

Midland: It’s all just instinct, I think people would be surprised how little planning goes into what we do. Midland is kind of just what happens when the three of us get together and the combination of our influences.

FLYC: In the development of Stages, did you maybe even decide against a song because it just did not feel to fit into your sound?

Midland: The pool of songs for each album is always much larger, and from there we tried to put together the puzzle pieces that create the story we want to tell. In that process, unfortunately there are great songs that get left behind.

FLYC: Part of the “Midland feeling” is that people simply love to party to your songs and have a good time. It feels to work globally. How was it like for you to come to Europe for the first time and feel that by yourselves?

Midland: It was incredible and still amazes us every time we go. To see people singing along, wearing cowboy hats and connecting with the songs. Music is truly universal and country music just seems to be getting bigger and bigger in Europe.

FLYC: You play a few festivals in Europe soon. Is there a song on Stages about which you are most excited about how the people here will react to it?

Midland: Right now I’m really loving performing Shooting Memories with Tequila.

FLYC: Zach Bryan just played Berlin in front of 22k people. You had major shows here as well. Other artists, who are big on the North American market, struggle here, though. What do you think? Why do European country fans love Midland?

Midland: I don’t actually know the answer to that question. Maybe it’s the authenticity, the joy we bring to it? Maybe it’s just as simple as the songs? Either way, we’re loving it.

FLYC: Last, but not least: which headline would you love to read on 12th or 13th June 2026 about your new album?

Midland: I would love to read Midland wins a Grammy for their album Stages.

 

Follow Midland Online

            

 

Pictures used have been taken at the Midland show at the 2025 C2C in Berlin.

 

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