MIdnight Feature Hex Rentals Review
Midnight Feature
Hex Rentals
Independent
2026
Out as of April 17th, “Hex Rentals” is the debut full length album from Birmingham gothabilly punks Midnight Feature. Featuring (haha) Joshua on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Rich on lead guitar, Neary on bass, and Rob on drums and backing vocals. The album was produced by Si Reeves at Blotto Studio in Birmingham. It's a killer piece of sing-along, retro flavored horror punk that reanimates a much-missed micro-genre.
Now, to address the Tarman-shaped elephant in the room; do you like Mister Monster? Because Midnight Feature sure do! And I do too! “Hex Rentals” is pure, unadulterated boo wop. Plenty of horror punk draws inspiration from 50s rock and doo wop, but for me at least, nothing has truly encapsulated that sound and aesthetic since we lost Jason Trioxin. Until now! That's not to say Midnight Feature is just a Mister Monster tribute act, far from it, they have their own personality, their own sound, and their own sense of humour. But they really do recapture that magic. The album has a fantastic sense of propulsiveness, it ticks over like a drag racer, and bounces like a cemetery sock hop.
“Final Girl” opens the record with a rock-n-rollin' tribute to goth girls, anthemically shouting out Vampira and Elvira over fuzzy guitars and rollicking drums. The album has a bit of a recurring theme of badass witchy women and retro occultism, channeling both Satanic Panic horror cinema, and 70s Thelema. Which as someone who hangs out with a lot of witches, all of whom are awesome, I appreciate greatly. We see it come back on “Death Walks in High Heels”, with its psychobilly swagger. Then again in “Satan's Day Out”, which trods some of my favourite thematic unholy ground, BLASPHEMY! With an absolute belter of a shout-along chorus.
The entire album is soaked in retro horror worship. “Night of the Demon” brings the classic British horror vibes by devoutly invoking the 1957 film based in the 1911 short story 'Casting the Runes'. Then “Helllavision” blends rapid-fire punk riffs with Danzig-ian warbles and a bloody brilliant Evil Dead inspired DIY music video.
“Saturday Night Fever Dream” and “His and Hearse” are where we really start to hear Midnight Feature's sense of humour shine through. Halloween, back-of-the-candy-wrapper grade puns, delivered with a complete and total commitment to the bit. It perfectly tows the line between being deeply, deeply silly, and genuinely kind of intimidating. We get lines like 'the man of my screams' delivered with such charisma and conviction by Joshua that I don't know whether to shudder, swoon, or break down laughing. “Let's All Do the Frankenstein” follows as a masterpiece of wordplay, stringing together vintage horror reference after vintage horror reference. This is exactly what I want from my boo wop. I would also like to officially propose 'close casket collective' as the nickname for Midnight Feature fans.
To mention Mister Monster again (the comparison is unavoidable), I half thought “Damned if You Do” was a cover of a Mister Monster song I had somehow never heard before. The melody and the harmonies are so fucking good, and Joshua is seriously channeling the spirit of Jason Trioxin. This is the song that really made me feel like “Hex Rentals” is the spiritual successor to the Mister Monster sophomore album we never got to hear. Midnight Feature carry the torch in the best possible way and use it to light a sacrificial pyre of rock-n-roll for us all to ritualistically dance around.
Finally, the title track ends the album on a soft, somber note. It feels like it's saying rest in peace, don't forget to rewind the tape, and see you next time spooks and freaks.
“Hex Rentals” captures a very specific kind of horror punk sound and atmosphere. So, your mileage is going to vary depending on exactly how nostalgic you are for boo wop. However, any horror punk fan is going to have a blast with this album, and for myself, it is an all-time great. I highly recommend it and look forward to endless sequels.
RIYL: Mister Monster, Psychostars, Nim Vind, Mr. Underhill, Calabrese, The Spookshow, Zombie Ghost Train, Kitty in a Casket
Standouts: “Final Girl”, “Death Walks in High Heels”, “Saturday Night Fever Dream”, “Let's All Do the Frankenstein”, “Damned if You Do”, “From the Grave”, “Rite Here”
~Gwilym