Middle Kids have returned with ‘big freak’, a guitar-driven new single that explores the strange, uncomfortable feeling of growing up convinced you’re the odd one out.
The Sydney indie trio’s first new music since 2024 also marks the beginning of a new chapter, arriving as their first release under a global signing with Australian independent label Mushroom Music.
Middle Kids have been signed to Mushroom’s publishing arm since their 2017 breakthrough debut single “Edge of Town”, with the publishing relationship expanding into a global deal in 2023. The new label signing represents a full-circle moment for the Sydney trio.
Produced in Sydney by band member Tim Fitz, “big freak” combines crunchy guitars and soaring indie power pop with an exploration of the uncomfortable transition from adolescence into adulthood.
The track captures the feeling of being entirely uncomfortable in your own skin, convinced that everyone around you is somehow normal while you’re the only one who hasn’t quite figured things out.
Frontwoman Hannah Joy reflected on those contradictions and the band’s evolving outlook in a statement accompanying the release.
“When I was a teenager, I didn’t want anyone to look at me or notice me at all, but when I walked home from school, I would daydream about being interviewed on some big TV talk show one day,” she said. “That’s kind of silly. But often these deep contradictions are the engines that drive us somewhere interesting.
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“The next chapter of Middle Kids is all about leaning into who we really are, with a confidence that feels new. We don’t want to treat our band like a little perfection project, we just want to bring our full selves to music, again and again, for life. For me, confession is an important part of living in my own story. So here I am once again, and I feel like a big freak in this world. It’s been that way for a long time.”
‘big freak’ follows Middle Kids’ recent return to the live stage at Yours & Owls Festival, alongside a series of solo performances from Joy.
The single is the first taste of new music since the band’s third studio album, Faith Crisis Pt. 1, released in 2024. The record earned an ARIA nomination for Rock Album of the Year and saw the band embark on sold-out tours across Australia and the US.
Ironically, the band have gone on to appear on many big TV talk shows in the US, including Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live!and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
‘big freak’ by Middle Kids is out now.
