Roscoe

Midlake recorded “Roscoe” during the 2005–2006 sessions for The Trials of Van Occupanther, which the band recorded and mixed at their house in Denton, Texas. Tim Smith wrote the song and produced it with Midlake, with Paul Alexander and the band credited for engineering and mixing and Alan Douches mastering the album. Released by Bella Union in 2006 as the lead single from The Trials of Van Occupanther, it became Midlake’s signature song and the album’s main point of crossover recognition. Its pastoral lyric, stacked harmonies and 1970s soft-rock texture helped define the album’s critical breakthrough. The track remains Midlake’s best-known recording and a central song in the 2000s indie-folk and soft-rock revival. Its later inclusion in decade-end lists and continued presence in the band’s catalogue have kept it closely tied to Tim Smith’s defining songwriting period.