Sydney indie trio Middle Kids have a sound that's influenced by a diverse who's who of indie, rock, and pop boundary pushers, like Smashing Pumpkins, Carole King, Modest Mouse, and The Beach Boys. Curated by the band themselves, the songs on this playlist balance musical force with lyrical tenderness—even vulnerability. Led Zeppelin expressed wistful sentimentality on 1970's “That's The Way,” while Pixies' "Monkey Gone to Heaven,” for all its squawky brashness, still somehow feels delicate. That blend is a defining characteristic of Middle Kids—and this is where it comes from.