Music Waves Q&A: In The Middle.
learn more about In The Middle. through dipity's monthly music interview spotlights
Introduction
Rooted in dark pop, In The Middle. has crafted a sound that expands into the realms of sci-fi and superhero soundtracks, creating an immersive experience that’s both epic and intimate. In The Middle’s vision is clear: to take listeners on a journey through the worlds they’ve created, challenging the conventions of what a band can be. After moving from Florida to NYC, Mars Santiago (vocals) and Apollo Hull (drums) took separate paths in the music industry, gaining experience as high-level agent assistants, record label interns, and live venue marketers before making their debut. This duo has crafted a distinct niche, merging music and narrative in ways few others have attempted. Their debut album, Brain Games, is more than just a collection of songs—it’s a fully realized comic book experience, where each track serves as a chapter in a dystopian tale, in a place where emotions are currency and they have to find a way to escape, constantly following the phrase "if you stepped inside your own brain, do you think you could make it out?"
Q: What is your name? AND Where are you currently located?
Hi! We’re Mars and Apollo, and we’re a band called In The Middle. We’re a duo based in New York City. When we were 15 living in Orlando, FL, we met in a Human Geography class and thought it might be fun to make some music together. Flash forward 10 years later and we’re still having fun with it!
Q: What’s the story behind your artist name?
The backstory to our name is kind of cheesy but it’s such a core part of who we are and this band that we’ve built. When we were 15, we had just spent a whole day playing music in a hot, sweaty garage and we were starting to think about how much this meant to us. We laid on the concrete outside and stared up at the stars, and realized we had both been staring at the same star the whole night. It wasn’t the biggest or the brightest star in the sky, but definitely wasn’t the smallest or the dimmest, and it was just enough to catch both of our eyes. We felt like that resonated with us—we weren’t these musical prodigies or anything, we were just kids who made music in a garage. But even with that we always felt something really special with the music and the band, and we truly believed from the beginning that there was something that set us apart and the music would find the right people somehow. In the last 10 years, we’ve been so lucky to cross paths with so many amazing people who resonate with the music, which is what we’ve always wanted.
Q: How did you begin your journey into the world of music? AND How long have you been in the music industry?
We each just kind of stumbled into music on our own when we were kids. As our interest grew, we each taught ourselves different instruments and kept experimenting with different sounds. We’ve written hundreds of songs, most of which will never see the light of day (for good reason), and with each song we’ve been more inspired to go deeper into creating music with stories that can be expressed visually and sonically. After we graduated from college we decided to pursue music professionally, and we moved to NYC.
Q: What inspires you both as artists? Give us some insight into your creative process.
We’re really into concept albums and developing storylines that can be told through the songs. Our first album was really focused on external themes like mental illness, artificial intelligence, and capitalism while also looking inwards towards our own minds. With this last album, we really tried to put our minds into the world that we were building, which gave us so much inspiration. It’s interesting how visuals influence the music and vice versa, but when we’re able to have an understanding of how we want the world to feel, we’re able to put ourselves in the perspectives of our characters and write music based on their journey.
Q: What's your favorite song you've released? AND Why?
Probably “Shifting Timelines”—it’s about leaving one world for another one, and putting trust that wherever you end up will be exactly where you need to be. The song feels like one big confident step forward, and for us, it definitely has been. “Shifting Timelines” is the closing track on our debut album Brain Games, and it’s left so much room for us to experiment with the next album. In a way, releasing this album has allowed us to shift timelines.
Q: What's an upcoming project or which event(s) are you excited about?
We have some music videos coming out that we’re extremely excited for! They dive deeper into the lore of our album and we’re so happy with how they’re turning out right now. We’re working on booking some more shows in NYC soon, and we’ve started writing our second album.
Q: We love to read and get inspired by lyrics. Share the title of a song and its lyrics (one of your favorite songs you've either written or released).
Shifting Timelines.
There’s a theory that there are infinite timelines with infinite possibilities and that it’s possible to shift between them. Shifting Timelines is about leaving one reality for another because the current timeline is no longer aligning with your goals and purpose. It’s about the leap of faith that it takes to change your life in an extraordinary way. In a way that was how it was for us to leave our hometown and move somewhere where we could pursue music to its fullest potential. Lyrics:
If there's a universe where this makes sense Take me there, I'll be content If I could rearrange events Life could be just how I dreamt If I could find the master key Tell me just what would I see A vault of secrets just for me Transcending past the 3D I'm shifting through the timelines and I'm Glitching watching my life fly by Feels like I've been paused for some time I wish I could rewind, rewind Rewind, rewind Rewind, rewind I'll rewind, rewind I'm shifting timelines So plug me in and beam me up My body's ran out of luck Throw your cards and call my bluff I think that I've had enough If I don't come back, don't come for me Found a new reality Full of possibility Transcending past the 3D I'm shifting through the timelines and I'm Glitching watching my life fly by Feels like I've been paused for some time I wish I could rewind, rewind Rewind, rewind Rewind, rewind I'll rewind, rewind I'm shifting timelines I'm shifting timelines I'm shifting timelines I'm shifting timelines Logistics, statistics, characteristics I am the player, I am the witness Left, right, left, right (March) Left, right, left, right (March) Cryptic, realistic, so humanistic I am the player, I am the mystic Left, right, left, right (March) Left, right, left, right (March) I'm shifting through the timelines and I'm Glitching watching my life fly by Feels like I've been paused for some time I wish I could rewind, rewind Rewind, rewind Rewind, rewind I'll rewind, rewind I'm shifting timelines I'm shifting timelines I'm shifting timelines I'm shifting timelines
Q: What are your thoughts about the world of poetry?
Writing lyrics is a lot like writing poetry, and sometimes the words come before the music for us. So many songs that we’ve written have started out as a few lines on a piece of paper before becoming songs. We’re big fans of spoken word poetry as well, there’s just something so powerful about the way we’ve been able to see people perform their poetry in such an incredible way.
Q: What are some fun facts that your listeners may not know about you both?
Something that people may not know about us is that we’re self-taught in everything we do and we’ve been doing this for a decade. People might also not know that we are both short (over 6 feet if we stand on top of each other’s heads)!
Q: What is the last song you listened to that you recommend others check out?
We’ve been really into Glass Animals lately, especially their album How To Be A Human Being. The song “Life Itself” is such a cool introduction to the album, we’ve been really loving it.
Q: Who are some of your favorite artists and musicians that you listen to?
We’ve been huge fans of bands like Twenty One Pilots, Gorillaz, and Paramore since we were kids, and they’ve definitely inspired us.
To Check Out More of In The Middle.’s Music Visit:
Instagram: @inthemiddleband
Follow and listen on Spotify [Here]
Check out [TikTok Here]
Visit the Topic Channel [Here]
Subscribe to YouTube [Here]
Website: https://www.inthemiddle.band/
Any other thoughts, comments, or shares after listening and reading the interview?
[Interview Processed By VFORROW]
Thank you so much, In The Middle. again, for sharing and submitting to Dipity Lit Mag! ~ Jazz Marie Kaur (Vevna Forrow).
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I love In The Middle. They are such a unique band that I recently discovered. I'm so happy that I did! This article is like stepping into a room of fresh air. I really love the comic and the story behind it, it really grabs my attention. It just makes so much sense to me 💜