My Midnight Heart

MY MIDNIGHT HEART is a sonic exploration of constantly shifting landscapes. The music of Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Angélica Allen describes her dreams and nightmares with haunting realism. Through intensely vivid lyrics, lush arrangements, and the ever-changing lilt of her voice, Angélica weaves tales of wandering hearts, and whispered secrets. Though her dreamscapes have drawn comparisons with Kate Bush, Radiohead, Bat For Lashes, and Bjork; My Midnight Heart stands a world apart.

“There was never a ‘beginning’ for My Midnight Heart”, Angélica says, “I had been gigging and writing songs as long as I can remember, but eventually I noticed them shifting and taking a more defined shape–so I decided to let go of the acoustic singer/songwriter thing and start a band.” Following the direction of her music, the group–then a trio , began playing under Angélica’s first name at NYC’s rock bars in 2010 with a massive Noise Pop sound. However, the project came to a halt, when Angélica began touring with the Trans Siberian Orchestra in 2011. “Singing with TSO was difficult honestly”, she says, “It was such an intense schedule that I really had to put my music completely aside; let it die for a while.”

Although the band started performing again after she returned to New York months later, the project didn’t fully resurrect until almost a year after a period of concentrated song writing and experimentation. Previously heavily guitar based and strongly influenced by PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me and The Kills’ No Wow; Angélica now turned to echoing pianos, dreamy synths, and parred down, washy vocals. “I began to realize that the songs and the sound weren’t really about ‘me’ anymore.” Angélica comments, “They had taken the shape of something darker inside me. I knew I couldn’t call the band ‘Angélica’ anymore.”

My Midnight Heart takes it’s name from the song “Midnight Heart”. “It was the first thing I thought of when someone asked me what I was calling the project–and probably just because it’s in the first line of the lyrics.” Angélica says, “But now it seems perfect to me.” My Midnight Heart is about the dreams and fears hidden deep inside us. Things we hide even from ourselves. “And when you say “My Midnight Heart”, it becomes ‘yours’. The name forces you to identify with the music. That’s what it’s all about”, Angélica adds, “Empathy.”