ACL Fest 2024 already feels like a distant memory. But there’s one more pop-up nugget that we absolutely need to share in the name of Austin music. And that’s on behalf of Midnight Navy, the project of singer-songwriter/saxophonist/producer Francisco Jose Rosales.
Though Rosales first landed on streaming in 2018 with three standalone singles, Midnight Navy really began attracting a fleet of listeners with the release of last April’s De Melón EP, a fruitful six-song exploration of psychedelia, bedroom pop, alt-R&B, Latin indie, and Chicano soul in both English and Spanish. And Midnight Navy’s placement in prominent Austin festivals speaks to the success of De Melón; while Rosales e la familia appeared at ACL Fest the first Friday afternoon on the Tito’s stage, they’ve also been confirmed as an official act for SXSW 2025.
The big news this month? The release of De Melón (Deluxe Edition), which features a new tune that was tracked at Adrian Quesada’s Electric Deluxe Recorders. The Deluxe Edition drops next Friday, right before Midnight Navy embarks on their inaugural Texas tour – four stops across the Lone Star State including a gig Wednesday, November 20th at Empire Control Room alongside La Doña. But back to ACL Fest…several of our pop-up performances that were notably acoustic, bare bones, and frankly quite different from their studio counterparts. However can’t say the same for Midnight Navy; with bongos and cajon, they brought a previously-unheard sense of intimacy to the boda-inspired bolero “Solo Tú” – complete with electric guitar, bass, and keys (not to mention Rosales’ impeccable sax and vocals) for an arrangement that oozes amor.