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Something very special happens in the moment when a listener truly connects to a song. It’s an intangible reaction that bridges science and emotion, turning firing synapses into something cosmically beautiful. Another Michael exists for that moment: when a song transforms the setting of a long walk home, or speaks to a past experience while simultaneously making a new one, or taps into something universal by relating details so specific and personal that they could only be revealed in music. In 2023 the band released Wishes To Fulfill, the first in a pair of albums dedicated to their love of song, and now they’re back already with the experimental next chapter, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down. Together, the dual LPs create and pay tribute to the power of transcendent musical moments.

Wishes To Fulfill and Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down are contrasting but complimentary albums: musical siblings that are undeniably different entities but still share key sonic DNA. They each offer a plethora of dynamics, feelings, and moods to soundtrack the richness of life, and form Another Michael’s finest work to date. Where Wishes To Fulfill was a lean 29-minute set of single-worthy tracks, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down is more expansive, patiently unfolding to reveal an exploratory side that brings new hues into the band’s vibrant sound.

Helmed by lead singer/songwriter Michael Doherty and producer/bassist Nick Sebastiano–along with signature contributions of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Alenni Davis, drummer Noah Dardaris, and longtime engineer/co-producer/confidante Scoops Dardaris–Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down came to life over three years of intermittent writing and recording sessions that proved unexpectedly fruitful. The band decamped at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia, PA, as well as the same Ferndale, NY house where they made their debut LP, 2021’s New Music and Big Pop (which drew critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, Stereogum, Billboard, Paste Magazine, and many more) with the intention of making one album, but creating enough material for two. “The longer we spent in the studio, the more songs Michael wrote and we fleshed out together,” explains Sebastiano. “Since we were creating music with no end-date in sight, there was a certain aura of playfulness and experimentation inherent in our sessions.”

That feeling of openness became the key to Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down. Another Michael’s core sound–ultra-catchy melodies delivered through inventive chord progressions, lush arrangements, and Doherty’s distinctive voice–is still present, but the record features new ingredients that push the music into unexpected directions. “I think the idea of a good song is always changing for me,” Doherty says. “The creative processes or personal listening experiences I’ve had are always meant to give me a deeper understanding of that.”

The album draws on a wide range of influences, from clear cut classics like The Beatles, to contemporary luminaries like Alex G, to the unexpected, like a strong inspiration from Sesame Street. “You can tell the musicians who worked on the show were given so much freedom because the songs go to so many places,” explains Doherty. “There’s a great compilation called ‘The Count’s Countdown’ where Count plays a radio host and is just playing music from all over the show and it’s so unpredictable. All of that encouraged me to keep the songwriting as free and unpredictable as we could.”

The songs on Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down often take the knack for melody that defined Wishes To Fulfill and apply it to left turns like the hypnotic quasi-krautrock of “I’ve Come Around To That,” the sparse balladry of the title track, or the pulsating synth explorations of “The Diner’s Spoon.” The album’s world is weirder and more improvisational, like in the twisting ends of “Hub of Dreams” or the spontaneous performances of “Like I Won A Car”–but Doherty’s warm singing and conversational lyricism always keep things grounded.

The unbridled creativity filters into Doherty’s words as well, making it clear that the importance Another Michael prescribes to music truly permeates their existence. It’s the lens through which they see the world, coloring both the smallest most mundane moments as well as the biggest and most impactful. Doherty draws vignettes of everyday life and innermost emotions with equal attention to detail, often grappling with living in an increasingly chaotic and overwhelming world. “There’s motifs that point to an underlying ‘American’ theme. American cities, baseball, Disney, capitalism–and all the anxieties that go along with existing in a society that is proud of itself for what’s on the surface, and exhausted by its difficulties underneath,” explains Sebastiano.

Another Michael’s adoration for music allows for simple sonic satisfaction, but it also taps into something deeper, something connective. “Music is a medium of communication,” says Sebastiano, “It’s not a purposeful decision to talk about music in our songs but it just inherently means so much to us. If something makes your heart sing, the audience is going to hear it.” On Wishes To Fulfill and Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, the band didn’t set out to capture the all encompassing, existential value of music, but they did contribute to it–offering more songs to the world, and with them, chances to create one of those moments.