Review Summary: Peace be upon you.
As recently as February of this year, Micah Dailey-White was experiencing homelessness. The 21-year-old Michigander had nothing but the clothes on his back and a steadily deteriorating Samsung phone in his possession, which he proceeded to use to amass a following of over 3 million people on TikTok through his unmistakable brand of humor that hearkens back to the days of Vine. He’s become so ubiquitous on the platform that aspiring influencers are now imitating his style with massive success, while Micah himself seems to exude an aura of humility and gratitude that is seldom rewarded in social media circles. Take, for example, the GoFundMe campaign he started to seek financial support for housing, from which he donated 10% of the proceeds to various charities despite being in serious need himself. In the world of social media, it’s common for popular personalities to parasitically insert themselves in one medium of content, only to glom onto another when it is correctly assumed that there is money to be made; quality is rarely treated as a top priority in these situations. Fortunately, Micah Dailey-White is a different type of personality, and his debut record
Micah. is a different type of album, a labor of love that once again sees the artist neglecting the status quo and creating art that makes him feel alive.
Micah. is a hazy, nocturnal blend of ‘80s and ‘90s pop and R&B trends juxtaposed against contemporary bedroom and indie pop aesthetics. Observe the way certified banger “Freaks.” bobs and sways to the beat of a late disco-esque drum, carrying an undeniably infectious melody into the present day via its spacey and vaguely alien production quality. Similar praise could be heaped upon “I Love You Like I Love A Pop Song.” and Micah’s signature track “One On One.”, the latter of which feels like the result of absconding with
Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson in a time machine and giving him unfettered access to Soundcloud and Ableton Live. On his first full-length project, it’s refreshing to see Micah in a place where he is already so willing to take artistic risks; “Lust.” and “Self-destructive.” utilize booming percussion and distant guitar distortion to drown the listener in waves of emotion, while the frenetic drumming and lead lines of “Desire.” make audiences feel like they can sprint directly through the wall, only for it to catch them at the height of their momentum and spit them back out like the asphalt cradling Keanu Reeves in
The Matrix.
Sometimes, however, the four walls of
Micah. have a tendency to expel the listener a bit too harshly. As captivating as the climaxes of “Lust.” and “Self-destructive.” are, both of them are textbook examples of shutting the door too quickly on an interesting idea; both songs clock in at under two minutes, and the plug is pulled just when they are really starting to go somewhere intriguing. A similar complaint could be lodged about “Crush.”, which would rival “Freaks.” as the album’s best track if it felt more fully realized. Opener “Cold.” illustrates an issue that will make itself known numerous times over the next half hour, which is Micah’s vocal rawness. His melodic choices on this track are frankly puzzling, but he will occasionally hit an absolute home run like “One On One.”, whose hook will remain stuck in your head for days on end. As the instrumentals of the 12 tracks begin to blur together, Micah is often tasked with carrying the album’s appeal with his voice, with varying results. That being said, the fact that this record even exists at all is a triumph, and it brings me joy to think of the type of art that Micah will bring into the world with more resources at his disposal.
Micah. is certainly lacking in consistency, and its poppier, jauntier moments are far and away the most memorable, but every single moment here is idiosyncratic and features a fresh mixture of musical and aesthetic sensibilities that will only crystallize further as Micah continues to make music.
