Michael Cormier shares video for “Last Hurrah” from upcoming album More Light!!
People in the music industry usually wear many hats – it’s not uncommon for label managers to also be in radio, or for publicists to also write for publications, etc. In this case, Dear Life co-head Michael Cormier is also a talented musician. Paired with the grotesque and funny visuals by Luisa Levine, and the solid, hymnal harmonies by our dear friend Lou Turner, “Last Hurrah” previews what you can expect from the album – a fascination with the overlap between the mundane and the transcendent. More Light!! is out June 25th via Dear Life Records and Oof Records.
On the song, Michael says:
This song is an imaginary birthday party I’ve never had, one where I invite friends to a karaoke bar. I’ve been to a handful of birthdays like this, and while I think they are a blast, the setting is perfect for exploring isolation and late 20s ennui. Birthday parties were already on my mind after watching ‘High Hopes’ by Mike Leigh, and the excruciating birthday scene where the camera zooms maddeningly slow towards the old woman’s face while her adult children, though attempting celebration, scream and bicker off screen. Her eyes look cavernous and empty, the whole scene completely unnerving as shrieks blend with an increasingly dissonant soundtrack . So I was trying to write a song that did something like that, zooming in a little too close for a little too long past the external jubilation of communion towards the festering dread seething beneath the surface.
I asked Lauren Turner to join me in singing harmonies on this song. She released one of my favorite records of 2020 (Songs for John Venn, under the name Lou Turner. She is also in the fantastic band Styrofoam Winos, whose self titled release from January 2021 is already an early favorite for me). She is also the flautist on the track, and both her contributions are invaluable to the universe of the song. My dear friend Peter Gill (bandmate in Friendship and Hour, bandleader of the perfect power pop band 2nd Grade) played pedal steel, blending the twang of his instrument perfectly with the synths laid down by Lucas. The end of the song also features cellphone recordings of friends of mine singing their favorite karaoke songs acapella. This includes Carmen Perry, Tyler Bussey, Shane Parish, Emi Night, Lina Tullgren, Meg McCauley, Emmie Bishop, and Ava Mirzadegan. It’s really nice hearing your friends sing in such an exposed way. It all got mashed together though, so it’s hard to tell who’s who. I didn’t want to get sued for including a bunch of mega hits at the end of my song.
Pre-order More Light!! on Bandcamp.
