Michelles is the project of Chicago-based musician Michael Daly and drummer Ryan Farnham. They released an eponymous album in 2013, with that touring lineup dissolving in late 2015. Daly then took to the studio for a stylistic re-touch and new batch of songs, emphasizing “cryptic lyrics, chiming guitars, and dusty synth tones, while trying to maintain a strong pop sensibility derived from a love of The Kinks and XTC.” He takes hold of every non-drum sound, including mixing and tracking.
Their new single “All Is Forgiven” sounds like a mustier and more ambitious version of Smith Westerns, with an injection of swirling psychedelia in the keyboard usage and prog-rock in the revolving structure. Off the project’s upcoming, long-awaited new album, it’s a mightily impressive track that suggests this release is well worth anticipating. Think Suede crossed with Smith Westerns.
