by Matthew Gargano (@the_nocheese_band)
Michael Barker, the Sydney Australia-based musician behind 1-800-MIKEY, is no stranger to being alone. His first music project, Dying Adolescence, saw Barker writing and recording all the material himself. Barker’s early inspirations were artists that likewise did everything themselves such as Nick Rattigan of Current Joys, Frankie Cosmos, Alex G, and Porches. On 1-800-MIKEY’s third LP, In Yun, Barker masterfully plays with the tension of an album that is about love, dedicated in part to lovers, named after a Korean concept about an indelible connection between people, and at the same time is written, recorded, mixed and performed by a lone individual.
Immediately, the opening track “Self-Love” marries these concepts focusing on an oft-overlooked way to love: loving yourself. This opener also firmly roots the listener in the bedroom pop sound of 1-800-MIKEY with a fuzzy foundation of dense guitar tightly coupled with steady driving bass lines with the punchy vocals sitting comfortably inside this soundscape. Synth leads are peppered throughout the album, sometimes standing on their own but at their best when they are doubling the vocal lines, providing an emphasis and lift that makes the songs feel energetic and alive. In Yun is largely an lively album, but has its fair share of dream-like moments like in “Falling In Love” and the album’s closer “Meow”.
Amid the strongest guitar work on the album, “K Style” sees 1-800-MIKEY repeating a plaintive request for someone to “teach me K Style”. In the middle of the record, this chorus informs the additional dedication of the album. In Yun is not just for lovers, 1-800-MIKEY also dedicates it to “my half Asian brothers and sisters who never really fit in.” The everpresent theme of connection that ties these love songs together underscores the solitude of their creator. It is these two opposites that bring out the best of this record.
1-800-MIKEY has given us an album exploring the many forms of love including a love you can provide to yourself, a love of another person, a love across lifetimes, a love between a boy and his car, and a love of a dear pet. Despite being the sole performer on the record, Barker crafted these songs to sound full, peppy, and just plain fun. As the third 1-800-MIKEY release, In Yun is a tighter, more complex, and more focused entry into the discography. This cumulates into a perfect example of the breadth of the bedroom pop genre ranging from smart guitar riffs and catchy hooks to atmospheric synthesizers, all on one fantastic album.