'Momentary' by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released November 5th, 2021

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Mixed by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios
Mastered by Van Derand

Momentary

'Downpour' by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released March 24th, 2022

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Narrative by Alix Scarlatos
Mixed by Clark Thompson
Mastered by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios


He’s sitting in his idling car outside of Extra Life, his childhood favorite arcade, when he first hears it...

It’s late. Almost 3 in the morning. The dilapidated stripmall before him is dark with greasy silence, the beginnings of rain glinting off the pavement. The only signs of life come from the forgotten neon signage in the neighboring window of Sol FM’s headquarters, and the chugging of his ‘85 Pantera. With an elbow out the driver’s side, the cool air seems to chill further with every white puff of car exhaust. He opens his mouth and watches his breath coalesce into the clouds, which seem tethered to the ground below. They linger around the car, like ghosts. As he rests his forehead in his hand, he thinks of livelier times. He thinks of the last bell at Lakeside High, and rushing down Phoenix Boulevard among a mob of kids on bikes. He thinks of all the ice cream trips to Nucky’s on the corner, which had long since been turned into a failing travel agency. He thinks of the awe he felt stepping into the purple world of Extra Life on its opening day, and the yells from the manager every time kids brought double-fudge cones around the new BetaCast machines. He digs his nails in at the impossibility of reliving.

Then, an abrasive wave of static jumps him. It’s not apparent, at first, whether the noise is the wind and the rain or something sinister. Through the window, he turns his palm toward the night sky and only feels the pin-pricklings of drizzle. He checks the car radio knobs, but they’re all turned toward OFF. But his eyes then catch on a peculiar blue light washing across the puddles in front of Sol FM. The blue is warm and pulsates, like a beating heart. He follows the drift of his eyes through the window and into the hungry darkness of the station headquarters. From its depths, another blue warmth flickers fire-like against the linoleum tiles. And so he steps out of his gleaming Pantera and gives it a loving tap on the hood before making his way over. He has nothing to lose.

Moving closer, the static crackles painfully louder. In a far corner, under shadows, he makes out a shape emitting light as a television set does from the floor of a living room at midnight. But it’s not a television set. It’s a large, metallic transmitter, and all of its knobs and lights and digits and gauges are gesturing wildly, as he watches with jaw open from the other side. Its little indicator lights blink blue, then red, and then green, like an S.O.S. He remains frozen in both fear and fascination. His forehead is now tight against the glass, and he shields his eyes from the outside world with two cupped hands. The static begins to chop and squeal until it sounds almost human. He hears it now. It’s a voice.

“...J…It’s me…J…”

He puts an ear up to the glass though the static is so loud his head pounds and his eyes throb like he’s been staring into the sun.

“...J…Listen…It’s…you…”

The glass of the window pops, just far enough from his eyes, just deep enough to punch through, if necessary. The neon signage buzzes above his head in anticipation.

“...You’re in danger…J…”

As he turns to assess the outside world of the empty lot once more, the beginning drizzles of rain become a downpour. He rolls up a leather sleeve and winds his fist...

Downpour

'High Rise' by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released September 21st, 2023

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Narrative and worldbuilding by Kayla Macy
Mastered by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios
Additional mixing by Clark Thompson
Label - Mena Music

Narrative:
What she didn’t know was why she had chosen that particular exit on the long stretch of highway.

She pushed the thought away, tapping her lacquered nail on the elevator button. The night had been full of surprises already and she suspected there were more to come. When she had pulled off the Phoenix Boulevard exit, something about it had felt oddly familiar. Although that was impossible. The change of speed had been jarring and after hours of chewing through miles on the open highway in her blood-red Pantera, driving down the boulevard had felt almost like being in slow motion. The city was alive with energy and she couldn’t help but stare at the large group of people who had spilled out of the palatial doors of LuckyStars Casino and onto the crowded sidewalk. Slowing to a stop at an intersection, she had looked up to see the soft glow of the High Rise Hotel sign, its light diffused by the summer haze that still blanketed the city. She had seen destiny.

Reflexively she felt for the delicate chain around her neck. Did she even remember what she was running from anymore? The elevator came to a feather light landing, the gleaming doors making a soft whooshing noise as they opened into a dimly lit lobby with a long bar off to the side. The beat of the music drifted over, beckoning her and she obliged, walking toward the low glow of pulsing lights. Sliding onto the soft leather stool and ordering a French '75, she finally allowed herself to exhale as she surveyed her surroundings.

Rows of lush palms gave the space a secluded feel despite the size. The bar was luxurious and sleek, just like everything else in the hotel, and she watched the changing lights reflect off the bottles against the mirrored wall behind them. It was busy but not crowded and she was content to watch the well-dressed guests mingle. She didn’t know what was next but then again she never did. Certainty had always been elusive to her. The song changed and the beat picked up and that’s when she saw him. Tucked into the corner booth at the very back, a direct line of sight to the elevator. He locked eyes with her and took a sip of what looked like whisky, never breaking his gaze. The tempo shifted again and she felt her blood pulse along with it. It was too dark to see the amber liquid in the crystal glass in his hand but she didn’t have to guess what it was.

Back up in her room, she’d had the long elevator ride to firm her resolve, her hand subconsciously fluttering to her necklace only once. She opened the doors to the balcony, the muggy night air clinging to her skin. A shock of heat hit her first, then a feeling of lightness. Hot summer nights had always been her favorite. The distant sounds of traffic gently floated up and her senses took all of it in. She scanned the street below, watching the line of people waiting outside Holo Nights grow, then eventually wrap around the building. The purple glow of an arcade flickered in the distance and again that vague nostalgic feeling flooded her. What would happen if she finally stopped running?

It was past midnight when she saw him. Leaning against the far corner of CJ’s, his immaculately tailored black suit blending in seamlessly with the shadows. Despite how high up she was, she could feel the heat of his eyes on her. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was certain of something.

She knew that the High Rise hotel was where dreams become real...

High Rise

'Penthouse Paradise' by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released October 3rd, 2024

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Mixed by Clark Thompson
Mastered by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios

Instagram - www.instagram.com/MidnightHiFi
Threads - www.threads.net/@midnighthifi
Twitter/X - www.twitter.com/MidnightHiFi
TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@midnighthifi
Facebook - www.facebook.com/MidnightHiFi

Penthouse Paradise

𝑾𝑬𝑳𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑹. 🖥️

'Dreamnet.' by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released February 27th, 2025

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Mixed by Clark Thompson
Narrative by Kayla Macey
Mastered by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios

Instagram - www.instagram.com/MidnightHiFi
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/midnighthifi.bsky.social
Threads - www.threads.net/@midnighthifi
Twitter/X - www.twitter.com/MidnightHiFi
TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@midnighthifi
Facebook - www.facebook.com/MidnightHiFi

Dreamnet.

Debut release by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released May 18, 2020

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Mixed by Clark Thompson
Mastered by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios

Nowhere To Run

'Deadline' by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released July 24, 2020

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Mixed by Clark Thompson
Mastered by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios

Deadline

'Taking Off' by Midnight Hi-Fi

Released January 29, 2021

Written and recorded by Clark Thompson
Artwork by Clark Thompson
Mixed by Clark Thompson
Mastered by Michael McCluskey @ ZeroHour Studios

Taking Off

An experimental synthwave project by Clark Thompson.

Having spent the good part of 15 years writing and recording alternative rock music, my love for synthwave didn't really manifest itself in a big way til a couple of years ago, although the first seeds were planted much earlier by media such as Hotline Miami back in 2012, and the movie Drive which I saw shortly after. Video games and music always had a big impact on me growing up; if I wasn’t glued to a screen, I had my headphones on, and vice versa. My infatuation with the aesthetics and sounds of the time period that the synthwave genre hearkens back to, are largely due to a video game called Vice City which was released in 2002 but was set in a fictitious city in the mid-1980s. I remember playing it as a teenager in my room on my old CRT TV/Video combi, with the in-game radio station blasting Jan Hammer through my Hi-Fi speakers, while I cruised up and down the neon-soaked streets in whatever sports car I could find.

Come and say hello on any of my social media links! I hope you enjoy the music.

Clark

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Popular tracks

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