When Chordblossom came into existence, it was always our aim to shine a spotlight on the artists and bands that make up the music scene in Northern Ireland. We’ve been doing it for over ten years now and one of our favourite methods is our Introducing feature.
Put the kettle on, curl up on your sofa and and join us for a quickfire Q&A with some of our favourite new musicians. Who knows, maybe you’ll even discover your new favourite artists.
This iteration of Introducing features the musical talents of Middler who just released their latest single ‘Asking Angels’.
What was the inspiration behind your artist name?
“Middler” came from a desire to embrace the tension between extremes; digital and human, chaos and structure, intimacy and detachment. As individuals, we all came from different musical worlds, some of us more rooted in electronic and club culture, others from heavier, alternative and punk backgrounds. Middler became the meeting point. It’s not about playing it safe, it’s about building a space between things that usually clash, and finding authenticity in the middle.
You’ve just released a new single. How did it come about and what does it mean to you?
‘Asking Angels’ is a request for a saviour, begging for light to break through when everything feels dark. A reminder to stay present and grateful, but raises the question of who do we turn to when struggle feels endless, no matter the weapons we choose?
It was one of the first songs we wrote for Sacrosanct, and it ended up shaping the identity of the whole album. The balance between the electronics and instrumentation, it set the bar for everything that came after.
Have you any more releases or studio time lined up for later in the year?
We’ve got one last single coming out soon, with the full album, Sacrosanct, landing in October
We’re also in the early stages of putting together a remix companion piece, reworking tracks from the album through a different lens with a few artists we really rate.
Tell us about your song writing process.
On this Album, Ross would mostly bring in synth ideas, loops or textures that set a mood. We’d build those foundations together, Gabs would jam over them, finding rhythm and structure in real time. That gave us a strong emotional core before we even touched guitars.
Once the groundwork was there, we’d start layering in the heavier elements and shaping the full arrangement as a band. Jonny would usually be the last to jump in, taking all of that atmosphere and tension and putting pen to paper. It’s a process rooted in feeling first, then form.
Who were your favourite artists/bands growing up? Have your influences changed over time?
The music you listen to in your teens is incredibly formative and stays with you even as your taste matures and you’re constantly searching for new sounds. We found as a band there was some artists that we all shared growing up like Linkin Park and Deftones and those were influences that we leaned on during the creation of Sacrosanct, not stylistically per say but more as reference points when trying to communicate ideas
Like many people in their 20’s you find yourselves in night clubs more often and that has certainly shaped and evolved our tastes, the role that music has in society and what it can be is something that resonates. The idea of collective behaviour and ritualism in repetition.
We don’t define ourselves by genre because we live in a post-genre world. We enjoy heavy, aggressive sounds and softer, more atmospheric moments alike. But the constant that remains is a sense of melancholy and atmosphere that emotional weight and texture is at the core of what Middler is.
What’s been your favourite local release from the last twelve months?
We’ve been rinsing Mount Palamar’s recent output, any time Neil drops a new track it always gets heavy rotation on our journeys to the studio. We’ve also been big fans of the new Esmerelda Road single Park It and the new PercBoi3000 Album is pretty sick.
If you weren’t musicians, what line of work would we find you in?
As generic as its sounds, there isn’t a world in which we wouldn’t be musicians or at least have some creative outlet, we all have day jobs and would prefer to be out of that line of work and get to focus on our creativity full time.
If you could collaborate with one artist or band from NI, who would it be and why?
Space Dimension Controller would be a collaboration that would hopefully create some very interesting results,his production is class and the sense of world building you get when listening to his albums is on another level. I would love to hear what a full length project from us with him in the producer chair would be.
It is intensely difficult to be successful in the music industry. What does NI need to do to invest in/develop to boost your chances?
While Northern Ireland has amazing talent, the scene here often feels more focused on cover bands and established acts rather than nurturing original artists from the ground up. There seems to be more opportunity and access to funding down south, which helps build a stronger scene there.
Too often, artists feel they have to leave NI to find better opportunities and success elsewhere, and only then does the local industry really take notice and want to celebrate them. We’d love to see more investment at the grassroots level supporting emerging, original acts before they’re already established so the scene can grow more sustainably and authentically.
What does success look like for you?
Success for us is being able to sustain a creative life without compromise, making music that still feels honest years down the line. It’s about building an audience that truly connects with what we do, and having the freedom to tour and share our work live. Beyond numbers or fame, success means maintaining that balance where creativity, authenticity, and sustainability all coexist.
More than anything, we want to create music that has a real impact on people, in the same way our favourite artists shaped and moved us growing up. That connection, that emotional resonance, means more to us than money or fame.
You’re going out on tour and can have anything you want on your rider, what would we find on yours?
A couple of tins, some lucozade and KP nuts.
Where and when can we next catch you live?
We will be at Output in September along with our album launch in October so give us a follow on our socials for more info on that.
If you enjoyed this feature and fancy discovering some more new artists, we suggest you jump on over to our archive of Introducing pieces.
If you are a band or musician based in Northern Ireland interested in taking part in our Introducing feature, we recommend submitting new music to us via our Contact page and if we enjoy it, you’ll no doubt hear from us.
