{"id":37796,"date":"2026-05-15T07:34:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T05:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/addtowantlist.com\/?p=37796"},"modified":"2026-05-15T08:59:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T06:59:25","slug":"album-review-beefheart-mcquinn-midtown-downtime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/addtowantlist.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/15\/album-review-beefheart-mcquinn-midtown-downtime\/","title":{"rendered":"New album: Beefheart & McQuinn || Midtown Downtime"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reportedly, 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of yacht rock, but anniversary or not, smooth soft-rock grooves and nostalgia-soaked folk music seem to be riding a serious wave of renewed affection right now.\u00a0Midtown Downtime<\/em><\/a> fits seamlessly into that trend, although this is by no means a pursuit of effect, as this sound runs in the bloodstream of the musicians responsible. We are talking about a collaboration of British singer-songwriter Moby Beefheart aka William Murray (Fur<\/a>) with Australian singer-songwriter Winter McQuinn<\/a> (Sunfruits<\/a>), born from a chance meeting.<\/p>\n

Their first joint record drifts through soft-focus indie folk with the ease of a half-remembered summer. Drawing from the gentler corners of the psychedelic 1970s without slipping into imitation or antiquation, the two musicians weave honeyed harmonies, warm acoustic textures, and understated grooves into a mesmerizing listen. At times, the songwriting even feels distinctly contemporary, but just look at the titles of the ten songs and you know that timeless is a better label.<\/p>\n