Welcome back to Origins, our recurring series that gives artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, Another Michael take us through “Hub of Dreams,” a new track from their upcoming May 31st album Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down.
Another Michael are in the midst of a prolific streak. After dropping their remarkable 2023 album, Wishes to Fulfill, they’re back a little over six months later with a companion album, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down.
Led by singer and songwriter Michael Doherty and producer/bassist Nick Sebastiano, the Philly band makes every song sound like a breakthrough. There’s a supreme openness in their guitar work, and all the while, Doherty’s melodies — often sung in rich harmony with Alenni Davis — are carefully designed and always satisfying. Doherty’s passionate, inimitable tenor ropes you in, and the band dazzles around him.
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But Another Michael have grown in scope and presentation since their gorgeous 2021 debut, New Music and Big Pop. Wishes to Fulfill featured a larger sound but was almost more direct; on Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, their sound has deepened, with even more spellbinding melodies and a similarly intricate, experimental indie rock palette. In short, Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down is not a sideways step for Another Michael, but a leap forward into the new.
“Hub of Dreams,” Pick Me Up’s warm, harmony-laden final single, is a great example of the past and future of Another Michael merging in real time. The chorus is anthemic and urgent, but the song as a whole features a larger focus on dreamy majesty and guitar-based bliss. Fittingly, Doherty names a moose as the “spirit animal” of “Hub of Dreams” based on vibes alone — neither Doherty or his bandmates have seen one, but he feels the moose represent’s the song’s majestic air.
Doherty also lists the pie scene from Chicken Run as a companion to “Hub of Dreams,” but not exactly because of their contents. “We were throwing YouTube videos up on mute when we were listening back to stuff we recorded, and sometimes we were really blown away by how well the music and video would sync up,” says Doherty, “‘Hub of Dreams’ had the craziest sync of them all, it’s a nearly perfect match to the pie scene in Chicken Run.”
Watch the visualizer for Another Michael’s “Hub of Dreams” below, followed by their breakdown of the Origins of the track.
Another Michael are also in the midst of a US tour in support of Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down, which is out on May 31st. Get tickets to see Another Michael here.
