Middle America

"Middle America" is a song by American rock band Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. It is the fifth track and first single from their seventh studio album, Sparkle Hard, and was released as a digital single on February 7, 2018 by Matador Records and Domino Records. Composition and lyrics Described as an "ode to underdogs everywhere", the song features lyrics concerning the passage of time and aging contrasted with smaller concepts of getting "shitfaced" and blushing the color of Robitussin. The song also features the lyric "Men are scum, I won’t deny", which has been interpreted as a reference to the #MeToo movement. Writing for Paste Magazine, Scott Russell compared the song's folksy, sunny sound and existential lyrics to that of "Range Life" by Pavement. In an interview with Stereogum, Malkmus explained the song's title: "I have no judgments on middle America. That was a working title, I just kinda kept it." Stereogum interpreted the title and the song itself as engaging with the "ennui of the flyover states." Music video A music video for an acoustic version of the song was released on March 7, 2018. Directed by Brook Linder, it consists solely of Stephen Malkmus sitting in an alcove in front of a windowpane and surrounded by houseplants, strumming an acoustic guitar and singing. The video's simplicity was praised by Pitchfork, who included it in their list of best music videos of March 2018.