The end of last month saw the release of Midnight Milk, the much-anticipated new album from Edinburgh outfit Adam Holmes & The Embers. Midnight Milk is the third album from the 26-year-old singer-songwriter who told us in an interview last year “music’s purpose in my view is to bring people together and help them feel less alone.” With his new album, he wanted to offer something rare and precious to his audience – to “capture the moments where we feel full, complete and calm.”
With his award-nominated debut album Heirs and Graces showcasing a classic acoustic-based, singer-song writing style and helmed by two legendary producers of the 1970’s UK music scene (John Wood – Pink Floyd, Nick Drake / Simon Heyworth – Mike Oldfield, George Harrison), quickly followed by award nominated second album Brighter Still, which consisted of tight, melodic Celtic soul and featured the vocal talents of two-time BRIT award winner Eddi Reader, Holmes decided that his third album would have to have no holds barred!
What has resulted is a widescreen affair where no song-writing influence has been ignored or any instrument or sound made off limits. The instrumentation in Midnight Milk includes guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion and glockenspiels, alongside a choir, strings and a brass band!
And above all, it has all been recorded…in his bedroom!
Reasoning that his four-year-old MacBook had more technology on it than The Beatles had available on Sergeant Pepper or that Pink Floyd had used on Dark Side of the Moon, he knew that he had everything to hand that he needed to get the album in his head out to the world, and all that without leaving the house.
Adam Holmes on the influences behind Midnight Milk: “Around the time when I was formulating ideas for the new album I became interested in what impact an individual’s desires and yearnings have on their overall state of contentment. This resulted in the two main themes for Midnight Milk becoming desire and reassurance. I was keen to create a space within my music where I felt satisfied, complete and free of wanting and for the listener to feel this way too as they listened.
“The concept is that Midnight Milk is whatever feeds you, appeases you, frees you of your desires and brings you contentment, even if only for a short time. As babies this is breastmilk. As adults, it becomes a wide array of different things. For me, reassurance, and the internal sustenance it gives me is my milk. I wanted to capture the moments where we feel full, complete and calm. These moments are rare and precious and should be celebrated. I hope I am able to give people some of that feeling with this album.”
Midnight Milk Tour Dates (with Rachel Sermanni)
4th November – The Beacon Arts, Greenock
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7th November – SEALL, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye
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9th November – The Drouthy Cobbler, Elgin
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10th November – The Drouthy Cobbler, Elgin
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11th November – Tolbooth, Stirling
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16th November – Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
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17th November – Eden Court, Inverness
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19th November – Carousel Sessions, Chorlton, Manchester
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20th November – The Lantern, Halifax
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21st November – Bush Hall, London
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22nd November – The Stables, Milton Keynes
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23rd November – Chapel Arts Centre, Bath
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24th November – Municipal Hall, Biggar
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25th November – Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh
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Midnight Milk is out now on Gogar Records