Signals Midwest – Layovers

Lauren Records

I don’t know what it is, but I love a good compilation album. Even though they’re not always viewed as a core part of an artist’s discography, I find it so satisfying to have all of the loosies, B-sides, and demos bundled up in one place. It gives me a sense of completeness, as if the artist dug through the deepest reaches of their computer, dusted everything off, and represented it in an intentional package that stands on its own far better than a collection of a dozen or so scattered songs. This sort of sweeping sense of completionism is exactly what Signals Midwest have done with their latest album, Layovers. 

Fronted by Maxwell Stern (a fantastic solo artist in his own right), Signals Midwest have been kicking around since 2008, placing them in a class of punk rock alongside lifers like Iron Chic, Del Paxton, Gulfer, and Hard Girls. Not quite emo, not quite orgcore, this is a crop of bands that existed somewhat adjacent to the 2010s Midwest Emo Revival, but were never making music that fit squarely in those confines. 

The Bandcamp page for Layovers gives detailed information and credits for each track, with lots of nerdy shit to geek out about. “Two Magnets” appears as an alternate rendition of the same song from Maxwell’s 2024 solo album, and “Forward, Never Straight! (Pt. 2)” serves as a sequel to the opening song off the first Signals LP. There are covers of songs by Wild Pink and  Worship This! alongside plenty of other songs from splits, demos, and old recording sessions. 

Aside from just purely rocking, what’s remarkable to me is how well everything flows together as a singular listening experience. Sure, songs like “Call The Amberlamps” stick out, reading a bit like dated Weedmo titles in current day, but that’s because the song is from 2011! Plus, as is my stance with all comically bad song titles, if the song is good, then the name literally doesn’t matter. 

In the end, we’re lucky to have bands like Signals Midwest that A) stick around long enough to build a collection of songs like this, B) treat their music with a sustained level of documentation and reverence, and C) care enough to put something like Layovers together. On top of all this, the band is pressing this collection to vinyl, touring on this release, and get bonus points for one of the most unique pieces of merch I’ve seen all year with this balsa wood glider plane. 

Seventeen years together is a hell of an achievement for a band of any caliber, it’s a joy to watch Signals Midwest celebrate that with a collection like Layovers.