Country trio Midland will return to their beginnings in a new documentary and companion soundtrack album. Midland: The Sonic Ranch reveals the trio of Mark Wystrach, Jess Carson, and Cameron Duddy coming together for the first time and figuring out their signature mix of country that splices Bakersfield, George Strait, Gary Stewart, and Urban Cowboy.
Before their official formation as a group, Wystrach and Carson reconnected at their mutual friend Duddy’s wedding in Wyoming. They decided to go to Sonic Ranch near El Paso, Texas, and see what would happen if they worked together. Duddy, well-established as a successful music video director for Bruno Mars among others, initially came along to film these original sessions but ended up joining in as the bassist and harmony vocalist. A short clip from the documentary shows them at work in the studio and the playful camaraderie that would come to define them as they reach new levels of stardom.
The first song from the project is “Cowgirl Blues,” a percussion-heavy, lonesome-sounding number about a cowboy who’s always at work and on the move. “My home is a saddle, it’s always in between you and me,” Wystrach sings in the chorus. It lacks the studio polish of their debut On the Rocks and its hit “Drinkin’ Problem,” but the group’s chemistry and Wystrach’s unmistakable voice are already firmly established. The album also includes an alternate version of “Fourteen Gears,” most recently featured on the group’s second album Let It Roll.
Midland: The Sonic Ranch, which was directed by Duddy with Riverside Entertainment’s Brian Loschiavo, will premiere March 19th on ViacomCBS platforms including CMT, MTV Live, and PlutoTV’s CMT Equal Play channel. The accompanying soundtrack will be released the same day.
Midland: The Sonic Ranch Tracklist
- “Fourteen Gears (Adobe House Version)”
- “Cowgirl Blues”
- “Worn Out Boots”
- “Champagne for the Pain”
- “Will This Life Be as Grand”
- “Fool’s Luck”
- “Whiskey”
- “She’s a Cowgirl”
- “Runnin’ Wild”
- “Texas Is the Last Stop”
- “Cowgirl Blues (Jess Carson Vocal)”
- “This Town”
From Rolling Stone US
