You may know Mikal Cronin from Ty Segall’s garage rock band or his self-titled 2011 album about moving on, Trouble in Mind. The 27-year-old garage-punk wunderkind has been playing music – often with high-school buddy Segall, who drops a couple guitar solos on MCII – for about 10 years, so it makes sense that he’s getting a little self-reflective and contemplating fresh starts. Cronin’s latest pushes musical boundaries by moving beyond the reverb saturated and surface noise of previous efforts to catchy pop melodies layered with acoustic and electric guitars alongside Cronin’s falsetto harmonies. All these explorations culminate in an accessible sound found on upbeat rockers like “Shout It Out” and “Turn Away”, catchy mid-tempo tracks like “Weight” and “Am I Wrong”, and contemplative ballads like “Peace of Mind.” MCII is a really fun album full of super hooky tracks that are perfect for summer while showcasing Cronin’s talents beyond his normal gig. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Colleen Green, King Tuff, Ty Segall, Sic Alps, Thee Oh Sees