Midlake’s A Bridge to Far Is a Cosmic Walk Through Hope and Humility

There’s a feeling woven into the fabric of a Midlake album — a sense of earnest adventure, a spiritual walk through a sun-dappled forest where the path ahead is uncertain but inviting. It’s a sound that is both earthy and cosmic, grounding you in the dirt and leaves while your thoughts wander to the sun, moon and skies.

With their latest offering, A Bridge to Far, the Denton-based band doesn’t just continue this tradition; they deepen it, crafting a 10-track odyssey that feels at once like a warm, cozy blanket and a daring leap into the unknown.

The album is a masterful exploration of time, nature and our place within it all. It asks big, existential questions but offers solace in its lush arrangements and poetic, introspective lyrics. At times, it’s an album for a reflective night drive or a quiet evening with a cup of tea. At others, it inspires the kind of uninhibited joy seen in the music video for the opening track, “Days Gone By,” where actor James Lance—known to many as the journalist Trent Crimm from Ted Lasso—dances through the streets with cathartic abandon.

That collaboration, born from Lance sporting a Midlake T-shirt on the show, perfectly captures the album’s spirit: a blend of thoughtful artistry and pure, unadulterated heart. Guitarist and vocalist Eric Pulido explains that Lance’s desire to collaborate was genuine.

“If he was just into the band, a fan would have been enough,” Pulido tells the Observer. But Lance wanted to do more, and he was particularly drawn to the album’s opening track. “When I saw it for the first time, I was like, man, it really brought this song to life,” Pulido says of the video. “It felt like it got to the core of the simple meaning. I didn’t think this was a dancing number, but it works!”

This sense of serendipity and artistic trust permeates A Bridge to Far. In an interview, Pulido offers insight into the creative and philosophical threads that bind this remarkable album.

The Journey Begins: A Track-by-Track Exploration

“Days Gone By”

The album opens with a gentle, rolling rhythm that feels like time itself passing. Pulido’s voice, warm and familiar, asks, “Days gone by with the sun and the moon and the skies?” It’s a meditative start, establishing the album’s preoccupation with memory and the cosmic clock. The recurring celestial imagery is deeply personal for Pulido.

“I go on a walk every morning,” he shares. “I see the sun come up, I see the clouds, the moon, just the elements. I’ve always tried to remind myself of just that: I shouldn’t be entitled to expect this beauty around me.” This sentiment of humility and gratitude becomes a recurring theme, a reminder “to be grateful for the elements around, small and big, seen and unseen.”

“A Bridge to Far”

The title track is a poignant exploration of ambition and vulnerability. The central metaphor, to “climb upon a bridge to fall,” is a beautiful paradox. The album’s title plays on the familiar idiom, a conscious choice by Pulido. “I’m familiar with the [1977 war epic film A Bridge Too Far],” he says. “It wasn’t that I wanted to be ignorant. It was me kind of going, ‘Yeah, I know. I get it.’ I kind of, in some ways, like playing on words.” This redefinition shifts the meaning from a doomed effort to a hopeful journey. The song wrestles with doubt—”Was it all in your head?”—before resolving into a quiet command: “Go bravely on and on.”

“The Ghouls”

Released as the album’s first single, “The Ghouls” delves into darker, more enigmatic territory. It’s a song for the outcasts, a rejection of conformity. “This may not be for you, maybe ordinary suits the loose,” Pulido sings, offering a critique of mediocrity and an embrace of those who live on the fringes. The “ghouls” are not monsters but symbols of individuality in a world that often demands sameness.

“Guardians” feat. Madison Cunningham

A standout moment on the album, this track is a layered, almost spiritual piece that feels like a hymn to the unseen forces that guide us. The lyrics grapple with identity and belonging: “Gonna feel it out, gonna feel it in, who belongs without, who tones within.” The collaboration with Grammy-winner Madison Cunningham elevates the song to a new level. The idea came up in the studio. “It was quickly, ‘I wonder if Madison would be down to do it,’” Pulido recalls. “She was gracious enough to sing, to replace my voice and even do some other stylings that I didn’t do or wouldn’t have done. And it just took the song to another level.”

“Make Haste”

A sense of urgency drives this track, built on a tense, jazzy rhythm and a persistent bassline. The repeated plea, “Make haste in the morning, will I?” is filled with existential dread and a desire to break free. The imagery of being “buried in all of the chains” is potent, capturing a feeling of entrapment that climaxes in a desperate question: “Tell me truly, is this how it wants to be?”

“Eyes Full of Animal”

Here, the album shifts into a more primal, visceral mode. “Lines in the sand were drawn, eyes full of animal,” Pulido sings, evoking a sense of raw instinct and confrontation. It’s a song about survival and resilience, of holding on “while the waves align.” It speaks to finding strength not in fighting the current, but in waiting for the right moment to move with it.

“The Calling”

With the line “I really think that I am ready for the call,” this track becomes a statement of acceptance. The recurring image of falling leaves suggests the cyclical nature of life, death and renewal. The “calling” is left open to interpretation—it could be a higher purpose, a creative impulse, or simply an embrace of fate. The song feels like a deep breath before a significant change.

“Lion’s Den”

A triumphant and powerful anthem, “Lion’s Den” is about emerging from adversity stronger and more self-aware. “Out of the lion’s den we go, light in the darkest hour,” Pulido declares. The song acknowledges the struggle and loneliness but focuses on the liberation that follows. It’s a reminder that even in our most trying moments, there is a path forward.

“Within-Without”

This track is one of the album’s most cathartic moments. It grapples with the duality of our internal and external lives, asking, “Who can live a life within without?” The song builds to a stunning vocal peak where Pulido stretches his voice, crying out, “I figured out…” It’s a moment of pure emotional release, a breakthrough that feels earned. The repeated chant of “Just let it out—that’s where you’ll find me” is an invitation to authenticity.

“The Valley of Roseless Thorns”

The album closes on a haunting, contemplative note. With a sound reminiscent of Elliott Smith, this track is a perfect epilogue for a late-night drive. It tells a story of hollow victory, where kings and armies conquer a barren, thorny landscape only to be left with a profound sense of emptiness. The final, echoing question—”In the end, what was all of this for?”—is a powerful meditation on ambition devoid of meaning.

For Pulido, the lyric is both personal and universal. “Full disclosure, it’s more about the band,” he admits, “but I also totally understand someone listening to it and asking, ‘What was all this for?’ in a much more existential way.”

He embraces that ambiguity. “I think it’s an important element for us not to feel like we know everything and to be able to say, ‘I don’t know,’ and that to be freeing in a way.”

Finding Hope in the Cosmos and the Dirt

Across A Bridge to Far, Midlake weaves a cohesive narrative of struggle, reflection and resilience. Recorded at The Echo Lab in Midlake’s hometown and produced by Sam Evian, who also played and sang on the record, the album’s sound is rich and organic. Recording to tape and leaving room for spontaneity was key.

“We tried not to overproduce a song,” Pulido says. Working with a producer like Evian allowed the band to shed their own inhibitions. “We can just be the band and play and trust someone on the outside.”

A Bridge to Far is an album that dares to believe in something just beyond our reach, whether it’s a distant shore, a deeper understanding of ourselves, or simply a moment of grace. “That album and the title track is really meant to be a message of hope,” Pulido concludes. It’s about recognizing that something greater came before you, embracing humility and focusing on what you can control: “Be a good husband and a good father and a good bandmate, a good friend.”

In the end, A Bridge to Far is not about arriving at a final answer. It’s about the beauty of the journey, the wisdom in asking the questions and the profound peace found in walking bravely on.

Midlake with Paul Schalda will perform on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. at Tulips, 112 St Louis Ave, Fort Worth. Tickets are available starting at $33.71 on wl.eventim.us.