Darren Morilla & Oliver Dela Cruz are the talented humans behind Australian project Midnight Pool Party, a band that we can always rely on for our disco/dance/house cravings.

They have a new single for us this week called ‘ONE DAY’ which has them leaning back into their more classic disco sound, but to make this one just that little bit extra special, it also features a special appearance from Sydney artist Nick Pes, marking him the first ever featured guest on a Midnight PoolParty song!

“This song is about forbidden love. You’ll hear the verses are a confession of feelings you wish you could say out loud, and the chorus is an admission to yourself that all these words are just wishful thinking.

I first started writing this song back in 2020. At that time, I envisioned the lyrics would be a duet between two gay men, but never followed through with that idea until recently. Nick was someone at around that same time who was also making great music which kinda suited our scene, so we asked him to record some vocals for it.

We really liked how it turned out but by then our own style had taken off in a different direction and this song didn’t quite suite that new style of music we were releasing at the time. Earlier this year, Ollie showed me another demo of the song which had a revamped beat and fresh production, and immediately we felt like we were ready to work on the song again.” ~ Darren (of Midnight Pool Party)

What is your song ONE DAY all about?

It ultimately about forbidden love, but also being a little hopeful and delusional. The verses are an expression of feelings you wish you could say out loud to the person you are in love with. The chorus is a reality check to yourself, and realising that you are just fueling your own heartbreak.
 
Why did you choose Midnight pool Party as a band name?

I mean, who wouldn’t love to be at pool party at midnight? Haha. We were a lot younger when we came up with that name. Fast forward 10 years later, our name has evolved to be a reflection of a youthful and a more care free part of our lives.

How was working with Nick Pes? What’s your relationship with him?

We have known Nick for many years. He was in the same local music scene as us, and he was our support act for us once. When we were looking for another vocalist, I (Darren) really wanted another gay  man to sing the song with because it was inspired by personal gay romantic experiences/
 
How did you get the original idea for the song?

We started writing it back in 2020, just as a basic love song. But as I (Darren) kept writing the lyrics, It sounded like 2 people were singing to each other. So we developed the song to be a vocal duet. Ollie smashed it out the production and really made it sound lush and really gave it that MPP disco signature sound.

How would you describe your own sound and style?

All our songs have an element of disco in it. It could be the bass line, chord progression. Four to the floor beat. But we don’t necessarily try to write a disco song. We just want to make music that has a good vibe, and make you feel good.


 
What’s exciting about being in the Australian pop scene?

I think there’s a lot of diverse music in Australia, but I wish there were more platforms to showcase your music. We’re lucky that that we live in a time where you can use social media to connect with people from around the world, but here at home in Sydney, we’d love to play more gig, and more festivals. You see on the news, festivals and events being cancelled which is such a shame.

What are some other themes you like to explore in your music?

Anything and everything any human can relate to. Our songs come from personal experiences. Where it’s love, break up, feeling lonely, sexual experiences, self confidence etc. I never really understood the power of song writing until after many years of doing this, we have people telling us our music is a part of their lives.

What are you working on these days and what’s the main mission of this band?

We want to and we will reach the masses haha. We aren’t just manifesting, we are working hard. We just want to keep making music. There’s no excuse for us to stop. We make music and we evolve and we try new things, why not put it all out! So stay tuned.