Album Review: Mid Air by Romy and a Delicate Touch

Young 2023

Within the first minute of Romy’s gorgeous debut album, Mid Air, plays a lyric that is a shocking and beautiful declaration of intimacy. “Hold my hand under the table/ It’s not that I’m not proud in the company of strangers, it’s just/ Some things are for us,” she sings, her breezy voice calling over a thumping beat, a taste of the club-ready dance music to come. It’s a surprising thing to admit, especially as an out queer person: the need for privacy, for delicacy. This theme informs much of the album, as Romy strikes a balance between the banging electronic production and the gentleness of the songwriting. As queer people, we spend much of our lives in hiding, in one form or another. Once we find freedom, we are hard to contain, and rightfully so. To admit to a lover that the need for privacy is not one born from shame, but from the desire to be singular with another, grasps the ear, to say the least. That lyric hooked me, and I had to listen to more. It was that softness that drew me in and piqued my interest. Against other bangers released in the last year or so, like Troye Sivan’s “Rush” or TikTok hit “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras, it’s interesting to see a queer artist take dance music with a lighter approach.

Mid Air feels like a tribute to the music of a bygone club era, as well as a refreshing opus on queer love. In fact, even the song titles bookend the album on the queer love aspect, the collection beginning with “Loveher” and ending with “She’s On My Mind.” The trance arrangements captivate, and enfold the subject matter in a gossamer shroud, as if all the tracks were birthed in mid-air. Yes, some of the parts can be saccharine, such as the closing track “She’s On My Mind,” but Romy’s earnestness trumps any cliché.

There are ups and downs, of course. Romy has no issue in admitting faults and wrestling with her own mistakes. “Did I do what I’ve always done?/ Leave the room with the fire on,” she sings on “Did I.” the track pulses with feeling as she confronts a lover and herself. “Now that the damage is done/ Can we call it love?” Both are at fault, and it’s great to see. So often, the idea of accountability eludes those who write love songs. Harkening back to the queer narrative and the coming-of-age feel of Mid Air, seeing the narrator handle both pain from another, as well as the damages caused by her own hand, is not lost on me as an important piece of this album’s thematic structure. With Mid Air, you can pump your fists and look inward at the same time, there’s nothing to fear.

Album highlights, title track “Mid Air” and the following song “Enjoy Your Life,” take a sample from legendary singer Beverly Glenn-Copeland. “My mother said to me: ‘Enjoy your life’,” sings Copeland against a cloudy backdrop, the sentiment taken all the way from “Mid Air” through “Enjoy Your Life.” Family is a common pain point for queer people, so to include maternal feelings amidst such a celebratory collection transforms these songs into anthems, at least I hope they become such in the future. Not only serving as an emotional center for the album, “Enjoy Your Life” is my favorite track, from the addicting arrangement to the lyrical content to the vocals and beyond. “I made a promise to my mother/ To stop running from my problems,” Romy sings. Every queer person desires a homecoming in some form, even if that homecoming comes from within, fueled by self-reassurance. Romy’s “mother” can be all our mothers, urging us on, begging us to see the importance and beauty of being alive.

Amid the backdrop of 1990s and 2000s-inspired club production, accompanied by affirming and careful lyrics, Romy has delivered what I would consider to be an important album, one that I will undoubtedly revisit time and again. To me, the album’s success hinges on its delicacy in tackling the subject matter against the contrasting musical genre. Thundering beats, glitchy electronics, and neon-bathed vibes work beautifully with the touching words sung. When one becomes trite or repetitive, the other catches the fall. Mid Air is a wonderful example that the electronic, dance, and techno genres can transcend the club, to touch hearts as well as move feet. With a soft hand and a delicate approach, the hardest of basslines can carry a message, even if that message is simply to enjoy your life.

Genre(s): Dance, Electronic, Trance