Single Review: Midnight

As a self-professed “fan of the peculiar”, it’s somewhat surprising that Michele Ducray’s first single Midnight is such a carefully cut pop song. Midnight is an unusual but not unwelcome match to her intriguing magic and circus-themed branding. Ducray describes the song as “a tale of tragedy” during the isolation of New Zealand’s Covid-19 lockdowns, but its seductive production also highlights a sense of late-night romance.

Produced by pop power collaborators Devin Abrams and Simon Gooding, Midnight showcases an array of inventive sound effects, fitting the song to the modern mainstream. Midnight also manages to pack in some beautiful moments on the keys and synths, giving it an evocative and moving atmosphere.

Structurally, Midnight is extremely well-composed. Its verses lie low, followed by pre-choruses which hold their own thanks to their clean yet haunting melodies. Every chorus hits impressively hard, shining with its intensive vocal layering on the simple key lyric, “Won’t you hold me ‘till midnight?”. This effect puts Ducray’s singing on full display, all the more significant in its stunning choral harmony. Of particular note is the passionate outro, where Ducray’s vocals build to her command to “be free”. Where the listener expects another chorus, the song instead comes to a surprising yet satisfying close, keeping the final words of Midnight lingering in their mind.

Midnight is an enchanting debut for Christchurch’s ‘Peter Pan’ performer Michele Ducray. Listeners will be left overtaken by the song’s power, and curious to discover how she will experiment in her future work. Midnight deserves recognition with its widespread pop appeal, introducing Ducray as an exciting new voice in New Zealand music.