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Brooklyn-based band Middle Part laid all of their cards on the table with the release of their debut album, Disruptor. The band, headed by Brooklyn-based artist Andy Selkōw, spent the year releasing a variety of edgy left-of-center pop/rock singles, culminating in this ten-track raw, authentic, and autobiographical sonic envelope.

The album discusses a myriad of important themes ranging from dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts to trying to live in a world hell-bent on an insane level of corporate-level productivity. Despite the darkness, there is an overlying theme of hope, with the album shining light on the positive effects of self-love and acceptance.

Ones To Watch had the chance to chat further with Selkōw about the album, its deeper inspirations, and whether there is life on other planets.

Ones To Watch: My first question for you is about where you were in your life leading up to the creation of this record. What made you want to make it? 

Middle Part: I'm an open book, man. When we started making Disruptor, Time is Elastic had just come out in May of 2023, and we immediately dove back into the studio for more demos. It was a whirlwind, especially since Time is Elastic took two years to complete. We barely had time to breathe before jumping into new material. It was like riding a roller coaster that never stopped. 

Simultaneously, a lot was going down in both of our lives, and we were probably both pretty unhappy. Quarantine had left many of us with this weird feeling of arrested development. It was like we had all this time but still felt stuck, not fully realized as people. So, when we started making this record, it felt like we were exorcizing those demons. 

In December 2023, we decided to escape to Maine, right by Sebago Lake, with about 40 demos in tow. Only two of those made the final cut. We were diving into the unknown, locking ourselves away, and just creating. No distractions, just music. I had this idea in my head about a box that tied everything together. As we started writing, things began to click. From that December until now—well, we just finished it two months ago—it was a process of cutting songs, adding new ones, and shaping the record's identity. 

The first song we recorded was "Get Fixed." That was a turning point. I was pretty mad at that time, dealing with a rough relationship, and everything felt chaotic. We brought a lot of drugs and alcohol, and it was this intense, up-and-down experience. I hadn't had any time to reflect on what was happening in my brain. But as the record took shape, I realized, "Wow, I'm really angry. I'm not in a good mood." The music became a mirror, showing me how much I had changed from the start of the project to the end. 

"Get Fixed" captured that feeling of getting older, settling into your age. It became a theme. I went through a breakup, relapsed on drugs, and we kept adding songs. We did another lockdown at my loft for five days to finish the rest. Then I went to LA to record one more song and mix everything. It was a dark headspace, but I wanted to capture that, as well as the lighter side of life, the idea that everything usually ends up okay. Despite all the painful stuff in the lyrics, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Life is full of hardships, but we persevere. 

Ones To Watch: When you're in these spaces where you have to talk about substance use or these rock-bottom moments emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, how do you ground yourself in a way that will help you stay present and not be overwhelmed by the emotions you're trying to tap into? 

Middle Part: Honestly, I am overwhelmed when I'm doing it. I don't journal or anything. I sit there and cry through tracking. It's tough, really tough. If I cry while we're doing this... 

Ones To Watch: It's okay if you do.

Middle Part: Thanks. But yeah, it's tough to ensure my lyrics are raw and honest. I've had really tough conversations with my parents about them. They're like, "Aren't you afraid people are hearing this?" But I believe someone needs to hear it. I know there's a 15-year-old out there who needs it. I don't want to carry the flag for that responsibility, but it's helping me, and if it moves me, it will move others. It's uncomfortable putting it out there because it's so personal. In everyday life, I'm upbeat and bubbly, always out with friends, having fun. I hide a lot. But when we sit down to write, it's like, "This is the stuff I don't talk about with anybody." 

Putting myself in that vulnerable place is tough. It's tough to have people talk to you about it and to have those sentiments towards relationships. Like on "Echo," where I compare a relationship to licking the bottom of a drug bag. It's so broken, and the bottom of the barrel is broken. Nobody should have to deal with that, and we turn into bad people, you know? Relationships can make a mess or a song like "Spin 4 U," about someone having cancer. It's not fun at all, and I don't feel good when I'm doing it. I'm just writing it down. My partner, Brian, just sits there in silence while I write for hours. He lets me go through the process, and then when I'm ready, we track it. I usually don't fully understand what it means until after it's done, and I've heard it mixed. It's a journey of self-discovery as it happens. 

Ones To Watch: When it's overwhelming, how do you come back to Andy? 

Middle Part: I cry through it, then I'm like, "Well, that was fun. Let's get drunk." It's hard to find separation. Getting your ego in the way of things is easy. Being a front-facing figure making music that people hear, you have a responsibility. The ego can get twisted up in that. I spend a lot of time reminding myself of what Andy likes to do. I like to read books, cook food, hang out with friends, and try not to think about music. I also try to consume music, when I'm not making it. Making Disruptor was a difficult process for me because I was in a dark place, and the music I created in that moment of time is now forever captured on tape. Creating a record is manic and self-serving. It's gross, and I don't like the person I was when we recorded it. But it's important to wake up every day and remember you're a person separate from your art. 

Ones To Watch: You mentioned that you like to read. What are you reading right now? 

Middle Part: I've cracked a couple of books. I'm a few chapters into All About Love, which apparently is a massive red flag. I've been trying to read The Year of Magical Thinking for a couple of months now, but I keep getting 30 pages in, and it's just too sad. Joan Didion's writing is so absorbing and sad. This book is incredibly sad. I also read a lot of the 33 1/3 books on records. I read the one on My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, which is awesome. I've been reading a lot of Chuck Klosterman. Are you familiar with him? 

Ones To Watch: Yeah! I read Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs when I was younger. 

Middle Part: That's great! I just read that a couple of years ago. I love his writing. He's such a nerd, and he's funny. I like how he dissects pop culture. For example, The Nineties and Killing Yourself to Live, where he adds a love story to his journey visiting famous spots where artists have died. It feels like I'm in the car with him. I take my time with books. I read the Rick Rubin book, loved it, and finished it in two days. It was awesome, and I learned a lot from it. I wish I had read it a year ago. 

Ones To Watch: It happens. Things come into your life when they're supposed to. Do you get much inspiration from outside of your personal life and experience, and how does it show itself in Disruptor? 

Middle Part: A lot of Disruptor is influenced by film references, not necessarily in the lyrics but in the imagery. Our favorite directors inspire us. Greg Araki, for example, made "The Doom Generation," which is full of beautiful vignettes. It inspired me to tie the visual world to the sonic world. Fincher, Lynch, even Lars von Trier—I love "Melancholia." I also dive into YouTube rabbit holes about aliens and UFOs. I'm fascinated by existentialism and the idea of escaping societal standards. Anytime I can experience escapism, especially in film, I absorb it. 

I try to listen to music sparingly when we're writing, but it cuts through. I've been stuck on '90s music, which shows. Greg Araki's "Nowhere" influenced a song of the same name. One day, feeling uninspired, we took mushrooms. I sat on the couch for 10 hours, looping an eight-bar segment. I called Mikey, my guitarist, freaking out. He had to leave to play a show but came back to find me still high. My manager told me to go to bed, but I finally wrote the song in a burst of inspiration. It was a special moment of ego death, realizing patterns and toxicity. 

Ones To Watch: Speaking of being on drugs and in a liminal space where everything feels like a collage, how did you create those more cerebral moments? 

Middle Part: They're derivative. The outro was fun; we made it in LA. My mix guy produced it. I made him watch this painful short film directed by Johnny Depp called "Stuff." It's 12 minutes long and hard to get through. Another song has experimental moments inspired by my late uncle, who struggled with addiction. I found his tapes and four-track recorder. He was really messed up on drugs, making demented music. I sampled his tapes for the first 15 seconds of that song. It captured the sound of his drug days. 

Ones To Watch: What do you hope for the people who listen to Disruptor? 

Middle Part: I hope it makes people feel okay. I hope people think, "Okay, there are other crazy folks out here like me, and it made me feel less alone." Bad things happen in life, and that's cool and fine. It's just the nature of life. I want people who have mental issues to connect to that and take it with them. I hope the dreadful element of Middle Part subsides, and for the next batch of songs, I want to write something happy. I don't find pain and art to be mutually exclusive. Part of me thinks they go hand in hand, but another part says, "You don't need that. You don't have to have things going wrong to be creative." I hope it opens up doors and allows us to be more platformed so we can graduate and go on tour. This record ends our contract with LIttle Planet Music. Dave has given me the support and creative freedom to put out music that I want and I’m really proud of my catalog. But now I get to decide where we go next which is really exciting and refreshing. 

As an artist, I'm hopeful I will continue exercising my muscles in making music and staying alive through music. I want there to be a bigger conversation happening in music. I want there to be more honesty and connection instead of just blindly listening to something that people can turn their brains off to. I want people to think about it whenever they listen to it. The songs are structured in an unconventional pop format. I don't have to fly the flag for it, but it would be cool to cut through while setting those intentions to say something bigger than just talking about going to a party. 

Ones To Watch: My last question is because we talked about aliens earlier. What do you think is the scarier thought? Are we alone in the universe, or are we not alone? 

Middle Part: Dark Forest? Dude, I watch this all the time, and I think they're both pretty bad. I don't know how much I trust any of it. I think the chances of us being alone are slim to none, but the dark force theory and stuff? Whoa, bro, dude, that's crazy because that means humanity is done for sure. That's a terrifying thought. I guess it doesn't apply to our lifetime, but civilization not being able to reach past the third hurdle or get to a type-one civilization or type-two civilization is pretty dreadful.