Signals Midwest - "Two Magnets"

Photo by Alex Cihanowic

"Two Magnets," the latest single from Ohio's Signals Midwest, first surfaced on frontman Maxwell Stern's 2024 solo album, In the Good Light. Now, it's been reworked as a full band rock song for the band's upcoming rarities compilation. This new version is "indie-rock-tinged punk," which is kind of one of our things here. It has all of the oomph of punk, but with the lighter side of indie rock seeping through. The song comes so close to being Midwest emo, and could probably be considered that genre at some points. "Two Magnets" is a highly melodic and somewhat dissonant indie rock song, and if you're just discovering Signals Midwest like we are, we all now have five previous albums to check out!

Maxwell Stern says of the band's new version of "Two Magnets":

"I wasn’t sure if Two Magnets was supposed to be more of an acoustic-based tune or a full-blown rock song. In the end, I decided to pursue both directions. So if the solo-record version is one magnetic pole, this is what the opposite end sounds like: a revved-up version meant to be played as loud as possible."

You can listen to "Two Magnets" below. Layovers is due out July 25 on Lauren Records. For more on Signals Midwest, check out the band on Instagram.