Review Fix Exclusive: Midnight Vista’s Nicholas Posthumus Talks ‘Complicated Pony’ And More

Review Fox chats with Midnight Vista bassist Nicholas Posthumus to find out all about the band’s origin, new single and goals for the future. 

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Nicholas Posthumus: We all grew up in homes that encouraged music to be a part of our lives from a very young age. 

Peter, our singer, had been singing in choirs basically from the moment he realized he had a voice.

Collin, our guitarist, had a garage full of instruments, and a father whose own past was littered with hilarious and beautiful stories of his time spent touring with wild bands when he was younger.

Robbie, our drummer, has always been a sponge. You learn it first from his treasure trove of old music trivia stored away in his brain. That translated to being a good learner and a devoted player, not just on drums, but bass as well. He’s not one to shy away from a harmony in a pinch either.

Nick, the bassist (that’s me), was the son of a church band leader. My first gigs were all Sunday matinees, playing music with my dad. He ran a music school out of our garage studio and when we were old enough to teach, we were old enough to save him a little money by working for him. 

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Posthumus: This new single and the album it precedes are actually a bit of a first for us. Midnight Vesta had a rotating cast up until the last album, and Peter took most of the writing role while the lineup shifted around him. Locking in as the four of us for the last three years gave us a chance to open up the floor. Peter has no ego when it comes to writing credit and everyone gets a chance to toss something out there, and see if it sticks.

A big point of pride for us on the new album is that everyone is the principle writer for at least one song. Whether it was written in a tour van moments after having our vehicle searched by border patrol, or lying on a beach somewhere, watching the local birds interact with the tourists. We trust each other to give everyone a fair chance to make their case.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Posthumus: A room with great acoustics, an in-house sound engineer, and more than one drink ticket each for the band!

Our community back home is as inspiring as  you could ask for. So many talented people in Toronto are taking creative risks and doubling down on the support of the artists around them. 

It’s easy to feel competitive in a low income industry like the indie music scene, but I’m so constantly inspired by how much we can lift each other up if we surround ourselves with people we want to see succeed in their field, and love to watch for the sake of loving their passion for their work.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Posthumus: Enough old Canadiana inspiration to appeal to an older crowd looking for a folk-rock toe tapper. Mix that in with some Band of Horses/Dawes inspired indie rock hooks to make you dance one second and hold your partner’s hand the next. 

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Posthumus: Something that has never changed, and part of the reason this foursome has locked in as the permanent lineup is just how much fun we have playing together.

Whether it’s to an empty room in a town we’ve never been, or a packed venue back home, the lads love playing our music together, and we’ve found that to be our most infectious calling card. If we aren’t having an absolutely wonderful time, why does the audience owe it to us to enjoy themselves?

People have told us all across the country after a show that they can tell we love to play with one another, and the music is elevated by that shared enthusiasm.

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Posthumus: It’s a bit of an unorthodox love song about not ending up with the one you love, and being happy knowing that they have gone to do what is best for them.

We wanted to capture the spirit of someone saying, “I’m here for you, and I hope that wherever you are, it’s where you need to be. No worries.”

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2019?

Posthumus: We’re at the beginning of an east coast tour of Canada. We’ll play all month, promoting the new single before returning for our first big hometown show in half a year. Ending the year on a long string of shows is how we wanted things before gearing up to release the full album in early 2020.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Posthumus: Right now I’m sitting in the back of our van, driving into Quebec for our first gig of the tour. It’s gonna be two weeks of hotel rooms, snowy drives and some of the most fun I could ever ask for. We love the road.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Posthumus: More flange 🤙🏻