The Midnight and Bonnie McKee Ignite a Neon Dream with “Runaways”

Synth-pop giants The Midnight are back, and this time they’re bringing powerhouse songwriter and pop star Bonnie McKee into their cinematic universe. Their new single “Runaways” arrives ahead of the duo’s forthcoming 17-track album Syndicate (out October 3 via Ultra Records), and it’s nothing short of widescreen magic.

Where their recent single “Summer’s Ending Soon” leaned bittersweet and nostalgic, “Runaways” bursts open with pure possibility. Luminous synths, pulsing drums, and soaring vocals collide to create a late-night anthem built for city lights and restless souls. McKee’s unmistakable presence lifts the hook to stratospheric levels, while Tyler Lyle’s lyricism and Tim McEwan’s lush production anchor the track in The Midnight’s signature world.

With Syndicate, The Midnight are leaning into their most ambitious work yet. Paranoia and hope intertwine through bold textures, unexpected collaborations, and a maximalist sound that cements their place as leaders of the modern synthwave movement. “Runaways” is more than a single; it’s a portal into a record that dares to soundtrack turbulent times with beauty, urgency, and connection.

“Runaways” with Bonnie McKee feels like a rush of pure neon energy. What drew you to collaborate with her, and how did her presence shape the final version of the song?

I was signed to the same publishing company as Bonnie back in the early 2010’s and we shared a studio. At the time, there was no bigger pop writer in LA. She’s always someone I was intrigued to write with, and when the cowrite happened, I was reminded what an absolutely surgical songwriter she is. And what a voice. 

This release has been described as your “making peace with the apocalypse” record. What does that theme mean to each of you personally, and how does it filter through the lyrics and production?

My wife was diagnosed with blood cancer at the end of 2022, and because Heroes had just been released, I was able to stay home with her and not have to be on a deadline with music. Once her treatment was over and everything was ok, I started writing more. The corollary to the idea of “Making peace with the apocalypse” is understanding that there are 8 billion apocalypses - everyone dies.

Everyone leaves the story, and they have to make their peace with it- ideally while it’s happening and not at the end. The world is always ending and beginning again. Going through the journey with my partner was a reminder to make sure that the passing moments are what I want them to be, and not what I feel like they “should” be. 

You’ve been called leaders of the modern synthwave movement. How do you continue to evolve your sound while staying true to the DNA that first defined The Midnight?

Our lens is nostalgia. It’s as broadly defined as the sounds of the decades we grew up with, or with bits of memories or ephemera. Synthwave is sometimes the right vehicle for nostalgia, and that’s where we’ve grown from, but our journey always begins at the end and ends at the beginning. There is so much ground to cover. We’re just at the start. 

Songs like “Runaways” and “Summer’s Ending Soon” live at very different emotional poles. How intentional is that push and pull between nostalgia and possibility across the album?

Our Kids’ Trilogy of albums was meant to break the story out of a single narrator’s hero's journey. Identity is a lens, but it’s not a fixed lens. So these are the experiences of all sorts of different kinds of people- from those failing heroes cursed by the twisted architects of the simulation, to the teens trying to get off on some friction, or lovers dreaming of the west coast, or robots trying to uncross their third eye to the artist who has compromised their vision for the sake of a normal life.

These are all stories of those standing on the edge and having to make a decision. The myth is consistent, and the characters are different. If forever never comes, are we infinite enough, right here, right now, in this moment?  If not, then we face a choice. Life must be understood backwards (nostaliga), but it must be lived forwards (possibility). Those are the twin poles that hold the string. The string is the tightrope, and the string is what makes the music. That tension feels consistent across the record.

After touring globally and marking ten years since Days of Thunder, how does Syndicate represent where The Midnight stand today, not just as a band, but as storytellers navigating uncertain times?

I think we’re a little more weathered, a little wiser. Now it’s love songs for the end of the world. As far as navigating uncertain times, the fundamentals still apply: We’re all still the crusaders with the grail to find, and we’ve still got no sword, and there’s still not much time. The rest of the story is up to us to finish on our own path.

Either we find the courage to act, deep underneath our fears and doubts, or we don’t. That’s the entire game. It’s never changed. There have always been two guardians at the temple- one is craving, and the other is the fear of death.  If anything, we can be grateful that uncertain times strip bare the many illusions and artifices that distract us and reveal the stakes for what they actually are.