Bristol, UK dreampop band, Stay Lunar, have just surprise released their third EP, The Middle of the End, this past weekend and it’s not one to be slept on!
The Middle of the End demonstrates the band’s progression since 2023’s When The Sun Sets, set to an irresistible indie-pop soundtrack paired with the band’s signature lyrical relatability & candor.
We asked singer Harry Leigh to share a break down of The Middle of the End for an exclusive track-by-track commentary. Enjoy and make sure you click here to purchase a limited run of CDs and purdy peach vinyl!
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“Pull the Rug”
In recent times, I’ve made no secret of my personal struggles with anxiety. I’ve written songs about it before, but “Pull the Rug” was probably the most raw/honest song I had written about it up until this point. This track was written after I began to notice people tiptoeing around the topic of my anxiety. It’s pretty dark, but I’ve begun to embrace that a lot more in my writing. There’s a theme around the anxiety-related tracks on this EP where they explode into life, as if to mirror what a panic attack feels like – which we also tried to replicate in the music video, in which Holly and I walked around a freezing cold park late at night trying to create some disorientating and spooky visuals! In the studio we had a lot of fun making this sound huge and blending mine and Holly’s vocals together. This was the first track to feature Holly’s vocals on a Stay Lunar song, and I’m SO happy to have her finally featuring on our music. I really think she takes us to the next level.
“Screentime Limiter”
Around the time I wrote this track, I was spending a LOT of time rotting away on my phone, which also coincided with chatting to someone I knew wasn’t good for me. This might be my favourite track lyrically. I really like how the words bounce in the choruses and the end of the second verse. The demo was initially a lot more chill, but in the studio we decided to shoegaze it up with lots of layers and distorted guitars. Holly also played a mellotron that we ran through distortion pedals, which was so much fun. Our producer James Mottershead was awesome at coming up with creative ways to spice up the songs.
“Metro Song”
To put it simply, this is a song about having panic attacks on the metro in Paris, and leaning on your friends (and sometimes strangers) to pull you through tough moments. We played a show there a couple years back, and it was simultaneously the best experience I’ve had being in Stay Lunar so far, as well as the hardest. The demo for the track initially had drums throughout and a completely different feel – but when we got to the studio, Holly wasn’t feeling it – so we went back to the drawing board and stripped it back to just guitar and keys and I’m so glad we did. This is now my favourite song on the EP, thanks to Holly’s persistence and beautiful Wurlitzer playing. Tom also used his ‘Pocket Operator’ for the quiet drums before the ending (if you don’t know what it is, you should look it up – they look like little calculators without a case!) He was determined to use it during our 5-day studio trip and I think he was pretty chuffed it ended up on one of the tracks haha.
“Here with You”
The second I started to piece together ideas for this song, I knew it was gonna sound like an anthemic indie-rock track, so in the studio we tried to lean into the nostalgic indie vibe, while keeping it noisy. We used our producer’s Fender Shields Blender pedal a lot on the EP for the big MBV inspired swooshy (definitely not a word but sticking with it) [EDITOR’S NOTE: totally a word!] guitars, which you can really hear in this. Lyrically, this one’s about falling in love with someone during a period of uncertainty in life, and being scared to embrace it.
“This Is Where I’ll Stay”
This is probably the most raw and vulnerable song lyrically, but also the most optimistic. Anxiety is misunderstood by a lot of people, and I’ve experienced a lot of confusion when trying to explain my brain to those around me. It’s such a wildly unique experience for everyone that suffers with mental health issues, which I think can be hard to grasp for some. I’ve felt a lot of shame over the years that I haven’t been able to function like most people, and guilt for not being able to show up for people I care about at times. I’ve reached a stage where I want to be more open about these things, because hiding behind it and masking hasn’t worked so far, and I think is quite an isolating way to go about things. I hope that in writing openly about something that so many people struggle with, will bring comfort to someone out there at least. We love playing this one live, it’s a real sad but optimistic indie ballad bop. Oh also, saxophone solo (thank you Louis Juckes).
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