The post Another Michael Reveal Origins of New Track “Hub of Dreams”: Exclusive appeared first on Consequence.
Welcome back toOrigins, our recurring series that gives artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, Another Michael take us through “Hub of Dreams,” a new track from their upcoming May 31st albumPick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down.
Another Michael are in the midst of a prolific streak. After dropping their remarkable 2023 album, Wishes to Fulfill, they’re back a little over six months later with a companion album,Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down.
Led by singer and songwriter Michael Doherty and producer/bassist Nick Sebastiano, the Philly band makes every song sound like a breakthrough. There’s a supreme openness in their guitar work, and all the while, Doherty’s melodies — often sung in rich harmony with Alenni Davis — are carefully designed and always satisfying. Doherty’s passionate, inimitable tenor ropes you in, and the band dazzles around him.
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But Another Michael have grown in scope and presentation since their gorgeous 2021 debut, New Music and Big Pop.Wishes to Fulfillfeatured a larger sound but was almost more direct; onPick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, their sound has deepened, with even more spellbinding melodies and a similarly intricate, experimental indie rock palette. In short, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down is not a sideways step for Another Michael, but a leap forward into the new.
“Hub of Dreams,”Pick Me Up’s warm, harmony-laden final single, is a great example of the past and future of Another Michael merging in real time. The chorus is anthemic and urgent, but the song as a whole features a larger focus on dreamy majesty and guitar-based bliss. Fittingly, Doherty names a moose as the “spirit animal” of “Hub of Dreams” based on vibes alone — neither Doherty or his bandmates have seen one, but he feels the moose represent’s the song’s majestic air.
Doherty also lists the pie scene fromChicken Run as a companion to “Hub of Dreams,” but not exactly because of their contents. “We were throwing YouTube videos up on mute when we were listening back to stuff we recorded, and sometimes we were really blown away by how well the music and video would sync up,” says Doherty, “‘Hub of Dreams’ had the craziest sync of them all, it’s a nearly perfect match to the pie scene in Chicken Run.”
Watch the visualizer for Another Michael’s “Hub of Dreams” below, followed by their breakdown of the Origins of the track.
Another Michael are also in the midst of a US tour in support ofPick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, which is out on May 31st. Get tickets to see Another Michael here.
Electric Guitars:
Photo by Parker Coffman via Unsplash
I had just gotten a new electric guitar, an Epiphone Sheraton II. It wasn’t my first one, that would have been when I was 12 and my uncle gave me his Ibanez Roadstar II. But for years, all my guitar playing mostly stayed acoustic. In the context of the band, I always wanted a mix of the two to be in the arrangements of our songs (see “Guitars” from our last album). Eventually, I grew curious and wanted to dig back into electric myself. I found it to be great timing as I was digging more into some of that new UK post-punk like Black Country, New Road and ’90s indie rock like Pavement. “Hub of Dreams” was one of the first songs I wrote on the Sheraton.
The Roches’ Vocal Harmonies:
When I made the demo for this song, I ended up tracking a lot of vocals because the guitars were so loud. It ended up being something we wanted to stick with in the final version, with all of our voices singing throughout the whole song. This is something we’ve definitely loved from listening to The Roches, and it was a great match for the camaraderie shown in the lyrics.
Touring Out West for the First Time:
Photo by Cayetano Gil via Unsplash
The whole song was written and demo’d in one sitting, and for the lyrics, I naturally went with a bit of a tour theme. We had just gotten back from our first tour since shows “went away,” and it happened to be our first time playing on the West Coast. As East Coasters, it was very exciting and long-anticipated for us!
Bringing our music to places within our region already felt so special and those experiences always feed back into the music, whether it’s brand new songs or songs we’ve played for years. Obviously, touring also has its edge. It’s not the easiest work or the best on our minds and bodies. But we’re all there sharing in that: it’s teamwork, it’s living in the van, it’s the Hub of Dreams.
Moose:
Photo by Ryan Hagerty/USFWS
I’ve never seen a moose before, and I don’t think any of my bandmates have. It would be amazing to see one, as they’re one of the earth’s most majestic creatures. But everyone always says how dangerous they are, so if we do ever see one, it better not be in the middle of the road or too close to us on a hike! But yeah, seeing a moose crossing sign always gets me both excited and nervous. The moose is the spirit animal of “Hub of Dreams.”
Chicken Run:
We were throwing YouTube videos up on mute when we were listening back to stuff we recorded, and sometimes we were really blown away by how well the music and video would sync up. “Hub of Dreams” had the craziest sync of them all, it’s a nearly perfect match to the pie scene in Chicken Run.
It was random to have put that on, I think it was our drummer Noah’s idea. But getting to play the song back so fresh after recording and see it compliment another piece of art was encouraging. It should work if you start the song and video at the same time, the noise freak out at the end syncs especially well.
Another Michael Reveal Origins of New Track “Hub of Dreams”: Exclusive
Paolo Ragusa
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