Out of the same scene that birthed Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, The Fresh and Onlys, Sic Alps and many more noteworthy acts comes Mikal Cronin. Some may be familiar with his work in Moonhearts whose s/t full length (Tic Tac Totally, 2010) proved to be a garage punk barnburner. Well, now he’s giving us 10 new tracks of solo material that combines elements of folk, garage, psych, surf, grunge, and even some middle eastern sounds. With that many genre references, one might think that the album’s a disjointed affair, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Cronin combines his influences seamlessly to create a sound that’s simultaneously referential and incredibly fresh. The songs on this album boom with youthful exuberance, but they’re also clearly arranged by an experienced player. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that Cronin’s friend and occasional collaborator Ty Segall is producing the album. Cronin’s also summoned the help of Eric Bauer of Royal Baths and Ty Segall to man the tape machine, and John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees makes a guest appearance. San Francisco’s always been a hot bed for good music, but there seems to be something really special going on in the city right now, and Cronin’s right in the thick of it. Mikal Cronin’s self-titled debut comes out on Trouble in Mind September 20th, 2011. Check out a couple songs from the album below – “Get Along” and “Apathy.”
