Southampton indie power pop artist MIKE GALE releases 'Grumble Pie' single, previewing landmark album

Southampton indie power pop artist Mike Gale releases 'Grumble Pie' single, previewing landmark album

FOR FANS OF: Paul Simon, The Beach Boys, Sufjan Stevens, Harry Nilsson, Guided By Voices, Sparklehorse, Tall Dwarfs, Cat Stevens
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'Grumble Pie'  https://youtu.be/NsY32K01fys
Bandcamp  https://mikegale.bandcamp.com/track/grumble-pie
'Summer Be Gone'  https://youtu.be/fhisFyOdl8A
Download / stream the single  https://bit.ly/3JKtajy
Bandcamp  https://mikegale.bandcamp.com/track/summer-be-gone
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/120Uc82QmHjQ8OUvbn31AB
Apple Music  https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/mike-gale/963828809 
Album pre-order  https://mikegale.bandcamp.com/album/thanks-for-always-waving

"‘Summer, Be Gone’ actually feels like a warm zephyr floating through an open window on a balmy summer’s day... like water bouncing off silk... a most wonderful and unique chorus which goes against the pop-norm by being a ghostly shimmer of reverb and wistfulness" ~ Joyzine

"Adorned with easy grace, this is triumphal folk-pop at its finest... like something Tame Impala and The Beach Boys might have performed together under the heavy influence of Paul Simon" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Equal parts charming and entertaining. A presentation of Gale's unique mind and it's abilities as a wonderfully adept melody making machine" ~ Headstuff

"A beautifully articulated songbook throughout. Swimmingly brilliant in it's indie slacker charm" ~ Monolith Cocktail


British indie pop artist Mike Gale has released his new single 'Grumble Pie', the second taste of world / folk-inspired indie pop from his forthcoming album 'Thanks for Always Waving' (out September 8). This comes on the trail of 'Summer Be Gone', an atypical summer anthem, for which the accompanying video was filmed in Suzhou, China by Matt Wallwork, featuring the artist Kimvi. 

Gale may not be a household name, but his music is universal, positively-vibed lo-fi bedroom pop. Generating catchy melodies and harmonies despite dubbing himself "a prolific, lo-fi recluse", this will be his 20th album in 20 years. Initially writing and performing under the Co-Pilgrim and Black Nielson monikers, this is the twelfth album released under his own name.

"I've been listening to a lot of Tall Dwarfs music and their use of rhythm and space. I really love those guys and I think ‘Grumble Pie’ owes a lot to them. I found the really cool, driving percussion sample first and built the song up from there. I suppose that, lyrically, it's about trying to focus on the things you have, rather than don't have. Seems like something that should be easy to do," says Mike Gale.

“I remember Grumble Pie being that song that happens with most albums I've done, where you get a feel for the direction the album is going to go. I felt like I had a handle on the rest of the recording after this one. I also left my mistake in the guitar solo bit to remind myself never to do solos.”

While a multi-instrumentalist, playing all the instruments heard on this album, Gale considers himself to be primarily a guitarist. Singing for as long as he can remember, he formally began playing a the guitar and writing his own music around 20, citing The Lemonheads as a big influence in those early years.

Born in Southampton and raised there for some years, Mike Gale spent a good chunk of his childhood in North Devon and some of his formative years in Oxford, New York and Melbourne before returning home to settle on his beloved south coast of England.

With Gale taking melodic and percussive cues from influences such as Tall Dwarfs, Pavement and The Clean, 'Thanks for Always Waving' is ultimately one of his most pop-orientated albums to date, filled with mellow bongo beats and gentle washes of wavey organs.

Mike Gale explains, "I'm naturally introverted and have never enjoyed being onstage in front of people, so performing live was always my least favourite part of making music. Now I'm solo I feel no pressure to perform live at all, maybe one day but for now I'm happy. Recording by myself at home seemed to open a flood of songs and creativity. I think the lack of any expectations just helped me make music for the pure enjoyment of it."

As of August 8, 'Summer Be Gone' will be available from fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the full album (out September 8) is also available for pre-order.

CREDITS
Written and performed by Mike Gale
Produced, recorded and mixed by Mike Gale
Mastered by Todd Tobias (Guided By Voices, Circus Devils)
Single cover photo by Akira Deng
Video filmed by Matt Wallwork in Suzhou, China
Actress featuring Kimvi

TRACK LIST
1 Yipee
2 Old Man in the Universe
3 Summer Be Gone
4 I Enjoy my Existence
5 Grumble Pie
6 Bees Knees
7 I Know Her
8 Set it on Fire
9 They're Closing the Marina
10 Michael 6
11 When Here Comes the Morning


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