Last year, we wrote about Super Paradise by Dicktations, a lesson in deep, varied music managing to capture a whole gamut of emotions and chart a period of time within the life of lead Miguel Gallego. Veering between numb dissociation and cathartic release, the record stretched the boundaries of garage rock, both in terms of style/sound and ambition, the twenty songs possessing a clear flow which cycled back to the beginning at its conclusion.
Far from limited to the slacker rock vibe, Gallego also records as Miserable Chillers, a synth pop outfit worlds away from the Dicktations sound. His latest release under that moniker, A Flower You Would Like To Eat, consists of a mix of live instrumentation, MIDI orchestration, samples and found sounds, all culminating in retro hits dragged into the now from a few decades back: songs part glam, part glum, the soundtrack to a heartbroken disco.
Opener ‘Love Theme (For The Wilderness)’ is a slow-burn ballad that starts out with cheap church organ and metamorphosizes into sparkling synths, the whole thing shot through with a keen devotional lilt. ‘An Enchanted World’ is altogether more danceable, Gallego’s conversational verses bookmarked by a catchy chorus and skippy groove, while ‘Gentle’ is laid-back and languid, though the lyrics hide nostalgic sadness and sense of loss.
“I saved the wedding portrait
where you two are forever
young and in each other’s arms
and you look so gentle”
The magical digital interlude of ‘The Children Board The Balloon’ is followed by ‘Habits’, a strange bedroom-pop number that’s at once intimate and odd, a lost love consuming all feeling, leaving the world curiously vacuous. Closer ‘Night Time In The Old Homes’ unfurls with a careful groove, a dream pop track played at half-speed and piped through old speakers, the quivering voice conveying a certain anxious need to communicate that pervades the entire release. As Gallego describes: “This is an album about being scared as a kid and scared as an adult, and discovering your capacity to love and be loved. It’s a record about rare moments when you can taste divinity—and that palpable sense that in trying to cling to those moments you might crush them.”
We’re delighted to share the entire thing for your streaming pleasure. Hit play below and add a bit of feeling to your Friday.
You can explore the Miserable Chillers oeuvre on their Bandcamp page.
Artwork by Styles Munson