BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF

 

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Alexis Dyan Marsh has returned with her second collection of songs under the Dyan moniker, Midwest.

 

The full-length album was officially released on Friday, February 7, 2025, and follows Dyan’s 2016 singer-songwriter debut, Looking for Knives.

 

Marsh’s musical journey up to this point has been somewhat unconventional, with the Dyan project stemming from the musician’s work as an established composer for film and television. This experience undoubtedly influenced the material which emerged as part of Midwest, and one could argue that the results are all the more interesting for it.

 

 

Described as electro-indie music as well as synth-pop, the sounds comprising the second Dyan LP are not necessarily easy to pin down in terms of stylistic categorization. While much of music here is inherently electronic, a number of arrangements are compounded by live drums and electric guitar. It’s these types of records that act as a breath of fresh air in that they utilize electronics and technology in a creative capacity while not becoming over-reliant on the artificial synthesis of sounds.

 

 

While the dynamic of composer-pivoting-into-pop-singer/songwriter-territory may seem unconventional on the face of it, many of the more sophisticated harmonic elements at play throughout Midwest can likely be traced to this more “formal” experience. These variables coexist with the more atmospheric aesthetic elements to effectively render a palpable “vibe” while offering much of musical interest – bridging the gap between two aiming disparate musical dimensions.

 

This coalescence of styles is particularly evident in lead single “Dark Streets,” which seems to almost echo Bach’s major key cello suites. This sort of instrumental undercurrent is filled out by broad, colorful brush strokes of sound which seem to blur the lines between sounds just enough to make the whole thing feel like a vibrant, moving picture of sound.

 

It’s this sort of symphonic sensibility conjured within the framework of synth-pop that comprises the distinct palette of the Midwest project as a whole – I myself have been calling it “symph-pop.”

 

The album is certainly an expression of self, with Dyan having taking a decidedly hands-on approach to the album’s recording – all of the instruments heard in the record were recorded by Marsh herself, with the exception of drums tracks performed by American composer and musician Dan Dorff. Additionally, mixing on the album was provided by mix engineer Phil Schawel.

 

Outside of work as Dylan, Marsh has provided the compositional for a number of programs, including TNT’s Animal Kingdom, as well as for films such as The Unknown Country and NexGen. Most recently she composed the film score for second film from American filmmaker and artist Morrisa Maltz, Jazzy.

 

Following its premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, the film has seen screenings at the Rome Film Festival and SXSW Sydney. The film has notably been nominated for the John Cassavetes Award as part of the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

 

Midwest is now available to stream on all major platforms, as well as the Dyan Bandcamp page where listeners can also purchase and download the album.