Mikal Cronin

Another multi-talented artist who got their start in garage rock is Mikal Cronin. Cronin’s music is similar to Ty Segall’s, in fact they played in a band together and still collaborate often. His music is grungy garage rock, however his lyrics are upbeat and optimistic. Mikal Cronin makes music that can be best described as slacker rock, utilizing acoustic and electric guitars and reverb heavy vocals.

Cronin worked with Ty Segall on the 2009 album Reverse Shark Attack , a loud and dirty selection of garage-beach rock. This album represents the beginning of Mikal Cronin’s career well, it’s soaked in low-fi sounds and anti-establishment attitudes. While this album would put him in the spotlight, Cronin’s own sound would be developed later in his three solo albums. Showcasing a gentler side to garage rock with acoustic guitars and lyrics about love, Cronin’s self titled album was released in 2011 to positive reviews. This spurred the artist to make two more solo records, each moving away from the thrashing garage punk he started out his career with, and towards a softer more personal sound.

I listened to Mikal Cronin’s albums in order of release so I could get a feel for his development as an artist. My favorite was always his second album (his first solo album), it was the perfect blend between the hard garage punk of Reverse Shark attack and the soft, quiet personality of his later works. I love how he uses acoustic and electric guitars together in his music, with the acoustic in the foreground and the electric in the background. Cronin’s instrumentation is detailed and well blended for a full sound, he is an inspiration to my music writing. Check out Mikal Cronin’s Facebook page for tour info.

https://www.facebook.com/Music.MikalCronin/

Image credits in order
http://beardedgentlemenmusic.com/2015/11/12/fun-fun-fun-fest-2015-day-1-recap-chvrches-antemasque-viet-cong-mikal-cronin-and-toro-y-moi/

https://www.thefourohfive.com/music/article/record-shopping-and-cronuts-with-mikal-cronin-142