Midlake have announced a special new vinyl pressing of their 2006 second album, The Trials of Van Occupanther, available Friday, January 17, 2025 on the band’s own Midlake Records.
Limited to 750 copies on Opaque Marigold, 180-gram vinyl, available at Indie Retailers, and 250 Black vinyl copies, which will be available on Midlake’s webstore, the new LP edition was re-mastered by Christopher Colbert (Nathaniel Rateliff, Richard Swift) and lacquer cut by Amy Dragon (Big Thief, Richard Thompson). It will feature the 44-minute album’s original layout and labels from the very first pressing.
To celebrate, Midlake have shared an official music video for the album’s opening track, “Roscoe,” directed by filmmaker Dan Fernbach.
Midlake’s Eric Pulido says:
This video was shot on an absolutely beautiful piece of land in Oxfordshire, England while we were on tour in Europe. We only had a day to shoot the video, so time was of the essence. We had worked with Dan before with Kingfish Pies, and loved his work on that, but didn’t have the chance to actually be a part of the video like we did with ‘Roscoe.’ It was an enjoyable process for all of us to dress up and ‘act’ together. The last scene where we’re all having a feast was quite nice. It was the end of the day, and although we were tired and hungry, I thought it was a perfect way to celebrate the day’s work. So don’t be fooled by the acting, the jubilation and hunger was pretty genuine.
Originally released on July 25, 2006, The Trials of Van Occupanther combined Folk, hazy psychedelia, and Soft Rock elements. Reflecting on “a romantic yearning for the simpler life progress leaves behind”, the album combines idiosyncratic narratives, such as “a couple long to be robbed by bandits so they can start anew, an outcast scientist ponders his pariah status, a woman chases a frisky deer, a river leads who knows where yet leaves you little choice but to follow…”
The song “Roscoe” from the album was named by Rolling Stone as one of the “100 Best Songs of the 2000s.” Midlake went on to released 2010’s The Courage of Others, 2013’s Antiphon, and 2022’s fifth album, For The Sake Of Bethel Woods.
