British indie pop artist Mike Gale presents his new single ‘Summer Be Gone’, the first offering from his forthcoming album ‘Thanks for Always Waving’ (out September 8). Not your typical summer anthem, but a great offering of world / folk-inspired indie pop. The accompanying video was filmed in Suzhou, China by Matt Wallwork and features 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.
“The song ‘Summer Be Gone’ is loosely based around my dislike of the hot summer months and how I prefer being cocooned inside while it’s dark and cold outside. I’m not really a fan of crowds, so I appreciate winter and the way there seems to be more space between folks in that season,” says Mike Gale.
While he primarily considers himself to be a guitarist, Gale is actually an instrumentalist, playing all the instruments heard on this album. While he has sang 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 initially.
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 beloed 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.
“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,” explains Mike Gale.
“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 July 11, ‘Summer Be Gone’ will be released across fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the full album is also available for pre-order.
