Through sharing the sacred space of meals and the secret space of dreams, MICHELLE presents a picture of a band enthralled by their craft, a group capable of melding six unique perspectives and backgrounds into one cohesive, impressive collection.
About
MICHELLE is comprised of Sofia D’Angelo, Julian Kaufman, Charlie Kilgore, Layla Ku, Emma Lee, and Jamee Lockard. The predominantly POC and queer collective mix and match the writing and production groups amongst the six of them. All 6 members of the group grew up in New York, and their fluorescent R&B encapsulates the best the city has to offer: the glow of neon lights bouncing off rain-slicked streets, the taste of a sticky mango purchased on a summertime Q train. The upcoming album Songs About You Specifically follows their GLOW EP and critically acclaimed albums AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS and HEATWAVE, praised by Nylon as a band that “defies categorization” and MTV as “mesmerizing.”
While writing their new album MICHELLE decided to rent out a house in Ojai, California. Surrounded by lizards, the smell of ripe cactus fruit, and endless expanses of sand, they experienced a sense of solitude and closeness they hadn’t before. It shifted the tone of their work. While their earlier music channeled the churning restlessness of the city, these news songs meander and expand into starry shoegaze reveries, slick funk riffs, and lilting 80s synth pop.
The months they spent touring, as well as the experience of living together in Ojai, fostered new bonds between the band. “There are friends I’ve had for almost my whole life who I won’t know as intimately as I know members of this group,” Emma Lee says. “There isn’t really an opportunity for that in any other kind of relationship in your life.” The sense of trust and comfort they fostered with each other allowed them to be more candid and vulnerable in their songwriting too. “It’s so easy to write a generic love or breakup song,” Julian Kaufman says. “But many of these stories are true. We’re coming from a really honest place.”
Their newfound closeness helped them write more vulnerable music. On Songs About You Specifically, the band members express their complicated desires, voice their regrets, and own up to their moments of selfishness. By slowing down, cutting out any distractions, and fostering a sense of communal closeness that necessitated honesty, MICHELLE ended up with a collection of songs that feel like the truth.
