Does Midi Memory mainman Matt Messore dream of electric sheep?

Chalk it up to creative restlessness, pandemic lockdown boredom, or even otherworldly auras and energies from when he lived near Cassadaga, but by early 2021 fronting Cathedral Bells just wasn't enough for Matt Messore.

Shoegazers Cathedral Bells, Messore's main gig, have been active since 2018 and — by dint of some intense roadwork and albums like Ether and Velvet Spirit — went from humble Orlando beginnings to some serious national exposure with their hazy, blissed-out dream-pop. And while Messore was nowhere near ready to retire that project, he was ready to try his hand at something altogether colder, more mechanized and with, he says, "darker energy."

"I started Midi Memory at the time to release music that was a bit more darkwave and electronic. It was a fun release to write between both projects," says Messore. "I started writing heavily in April through May of 2021; that shaped up [to be] the first half of the debut mini-album, Sensory Overload."

As inspiration hit, Messore pulled out a bass guitar — his primary instrument in live Midi Memory sets as well — and a web of electronics to capture the new, dour sounds in his head.

Early inspiration came from a variety of somewhat surprising sources. Messore namechecks Aphex Twin, former Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst's expensive scene deep-dive Goth: A History, and a late-1950s Russian film directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, The Cranes Are Flying.

Music came quickly, and a project that was meant to start out with a more cinematic, atmospheric bent quickly became something very different — sleek and silky darkwave anthems.

"Originally I intended Midi Memory to be an ambient and all-instrumental project with no vocals but I fell into [more] post-punk writing formulas," says Messore.

Midi Memory's debut, Sensory Overload, came out by the end of 2021, less than a year after the band's conception. After a string of singles in the interim, Midi Memory's second album, Far Gone and Out, dropped at the beginning of this year. Orlando Weekly's Bao Le-Huu immediately praised it as "a beguiling realm of alternative pop nostalgia, a dream state where taut synth-pop hooks and long post-punk moods mingle in a dance of stylish reflection."

Far Gone and Out is, indeed, an accomplished collection of keening, quietly propulsive post-punk — all insistent rhythms adorned by crystalline electronics and Messore's ghostly vocals. Seeing Midi Memory as a live duo late last year at the Digital Nature Fest, it was clear this band is much more than a studio diversion.

And though Cathedral Bells is, in his words, the "primary project" for Messore, both projects are satisfying in different but equal ways. There is, in fact, an attraction for Messore to the "low-key" nature of working as Midi Memory.

"I think creating Midi Memory was a great extra outlet for me aside from focusing all on Cathedral Bells. I never intended to play live with Midi Memory, ever. When I did some touring and shows it was really surreal to do, especially since I never planned to play with it live. Though I do enjoy performing live with Midi Memory, I think I enjoy recording at home with it more for fun," explains Messore.

We couldn't do an interview with Messore and not ask about his former stomping grounds near Cassadaga, and whether proximity to that (in)famous spiritualist community impacted or informed his music at all.

"I used to visit Cassadaga in the park and cemetery quite often from 2018-2020. I think it was inspiring with the scenery, especially walking through the woods in fall weather," says Messore. "[It] was a good place to decompress and enjoy peaceful walks and find hidden trails."

This weekend, Midi Memory ends a period of relative silence with a show at Will's Pub alongside a group of other Orlando bands.

"I got asked to play this showcase ... from 152 Productions that is co-promoting this event with a newer promoter under the name Cadence Collective," says Messore. "I've been getting offered more local shows to play in Orlando and it's a good way for me to stay connected in the Orlando community and get a chance to perform Midi Memory songs."

On the elusive new-music front, things are still a bit tentative, with Messore currently focusing fully on writing the new Cathedral Bells record. "As of now there's not much in the works, but that could always change in a heartbeat," teases Messore.

"I lost some demos that weren't recovered earlier this year and I haven't been able to have the spark to write anything new yet, but I do hope to write more again soon," says Messore, looking forward. "It's been fun to play more local shows this summer, and hopefully I'll get back into writing for Midi Memory."