Mikey Erg - Waxbuilt Castles (New Vinyl LP)

Vinyl LP pressing. Waxbuilt Castles is the second full-length solo album by New Jerseys Mikey Erg. As the drummer and principal songwriter in The Ergs! And at least a dozen other bands, Erg has as sturdy a set of pop-punk bona fides as you”re likely to find. Waxbuilt Castles is a departure, though. Recorded in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Alex Clute – who performed with Erg in The Chris Gethard Shows house band – it”s a set of songs that takes it”s central inspiration from the melodicism and craft of 70s pop rock. In their production and arrangement, the songs emulate Ergs pre-punk musical heroes – ELO, Elvis Costello, Phil Ochs, and especially the Beatles. I really wanted to make my version of Paul McCartneys first record, explains Erg. Homemade and very loose. Not too overthought. Getting there took a bit of adjustment on Ergs part. As a singer, he had to reconcile with hearing his voice in a quieter and more vulnerable context. It was funny to have to rethink the way I sang a lot of the songs, says Erg. Alex would say, You”re singing too forcefully, calm it down a bit. I had to get used to hearing my voice without this white noise behind it, masking it. Lyrically, though, it”s a Mikey Erg record through and through. They”re the same type of songs that I”ve been writing forever – about relationships. Juts simple, personal songs, says Erg. That”s the through line, I feel. No matter what the record sounds like, it”s the same exact songs that I”ve been doing. It”s the thing that I”m most proud of. That I can make a different sounding record, but that it still goes together. That is can all fit in the same box.

Tracklist

Kimberly Gofigure 3:39
Bad Decision Monday 2:34
Clueless or Cruel? 2:25
& Nico 2:31
Little Crushes 2:30
Waxbuilt Castles 3:31
Hopland Superette 2:43
Why Was I Programmed To Feel Pain? 3:06
City Lettings 8:28
Somewhere Drinking, Drinking Somewhere 3:48