Michigander@The Echo
Michigander made their long-awaited return to Los Angeles Saturday night in support of their new EP, “It Will Never Be The Same”, a captivating collection of heartfelt anthems that delivers on the animating sing-alongs, and hesitantly hopeful lyrics that fans have long identified with.The performance was a redemption for those who have waited to see the band since the tour was unfortunately postponed last year after front-man Jason Singer broke his leg filming a music video in the mountains outside of LA. After several surgeries, and many months of recovering, band members and fans alike were brimming with anticipation to finally share in the experience of Michigander’s latest batch of songs that yearn to chanted at full volume among strangers passionately discovering a common voice.
Opening with “Stay Out Of It”, the first single from the latest release, with an infectious dance beat and sing-along chorus that made the Echo’s modest room feel like an arena, the band burst into several more from the new EP, showcasing the impressive musicianship of each member and Singer’s ability to craft songs that are lyrically earnest and vulnerable, and melodies that refuse to be easily forgotten. A high point of the set was when the other band members took a break and only Singer remained, armed with an acoustic guitar and his voice. He began a stripped down and intimate version of “nineties”, a fan-favorite seeped in nostalgia, with lyrics vying for the security of a mythical easier time in a world falling apart. The song had a poignant resonance that was perfectly suited for a room full of concertgoers still not fully adjusted to the reemergence of shows since pandemic lockdowns, and who were uniformly grateful to once again participate in the communal experience of art. The energy of the room lulled, and each line of melody and strummed chord on the guitar was punctuated with the respectful silence of a completely attentive audience, transfixed in the present, singing back to the stage almost as passionately as the songwriter himself. Singer’s voice sounded just like the recording yet more exposed and attune to the tenor of the moment.
After the acoustic interlude, the rest of the band came back for what Singer jokingly dubbed the part of the set that is “nothing but net.” The band tore into perhaps their most famous song, “Misery” which seemed to end before the rest of the audience could catch their breath after contributing their voices to the catchy “oooh” melody that permeates the chorus and outro. Rounding out the night that had consistently turned the audience into an impromptu choir was the song “Let Down” which has a chorus whose lyrics of “I got high hopes, but they let me down” perhaps encapsulates the appeal of Michiganders brand of poppy indie-rock that sonically makes one feel an overwhelming optimism tempered with uncertainty, with lyrics that aim high while acknowledging the low points we must all endure.