Milwaukee’s DIY Alternative music scene has been growing and thriving majorly over the last couple of years. Artists like The Keystones and Diet Lite have been making a name for themselves in online communities, putting eyes on the Alternative music scene here and helping pave the way for so many other rising artists. Someone who has been making headway in his own right from Milwaukee and has been heavily contributing to the growth of its Alternative Music scene is Micah Emrich. He is a very interesting artist with a sound that is so eclectic and tough to pinpoint. Micah Emrich incorporates Rock, Folk, R&B, Pop, and Hip Hop into his sound distinctly yet seamlessly; his effortless blend of so many genres makes his music unique and engaging. Micah Emrich has been putting out music for many years, but he has truly come into his own over the last three. Micah Emrich put out two very good EPs in 2021, titled Closure and BASEMENT. These two projects did well in Indie music communities on social media, putting him on the map as someone to watch. After dropping an equally quality EP called COMPLACENT in 2022, Micah Emrich dropped two projects last year: SAMPLE-RETURN MISSION and Du What Yu Mike, a joint EP with fellow Milwaukee Alternative artist Duwayne. Micah Emrich has continued his momentum into 2023, having dropped four singles this year, three of which are on his new debut album, PROMISES(all of which I did write-ups for around the time they were released. This is a project I have been looking forward to, as Micah Emrich has a cool sound that really makes him stand out. With that being said, here is how I feel about Micah Emrich’s new album PROMISES. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from PROMISES, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole!
PROMISES gets started with the short and sweet title track. This 40-second intro, where Micah Emrich professes his love for his partner, is like a slowed-down, distorted, and more simple version of the next track, ‘Nowhere.’ The melody for ‘Promises’ has the same cozy and charming tone as the one one ‘Nowhere.’ Instead of being driven by a guitar like it is on that one, though, this melody is provided by a piano riff. The vocals on ‘Promises’ are heavily doctored, having an underwater or otherworldly filter that gives the track texture. Towards the end of the track, a bit of static and more distortion comes in, adding to the track’s otherworldly tone. ‘Promises’ is a cool little intro that transitions to the next track nicely. ‘Nowhere’ was the last single released in anticipation of this record. Considering I did a write-up for this one when it came out, I am going to keep it brief here(go check out that write-up for a more detailed analysis of this track). One of my favorite things about ‘Nowhere’ is the groovy fusion of genres exhibited in this one. The production for ‘Nowhere’ reminds me a bit of The Neptunes in the way that it fuses Funky R&B and Pop so well. Micah Emrich’s vocals on Nowhere are very nice; I especially enjoy the Rap verse, as it gives yet another texture and style. On ‘Nowhere,’ Micah Emrich assures his partner that he will always be there for them and will help them with whatever they need at any time. ‘Secrets’ was the second single released in anticipation of this record. Once again, I am going to keep it a bit more brief here, since I wrote about this one when it came out. ‘Secrets’ has a more relaxed tone than the previous track. It also has a lot more of a Hip Hop tone than the previous track. ‘Secrets’ has an easy-going Trap beat with a bass drum that bangs and gives the track emphasis. The melody for this one is very relaxed and sunny; the guitar riff that drives this melody makes me want to spend a day at the beach. Micah Emrich’s tone on ‘Secrets’ is very soothing, and his flow matches the tempo of this Pop-Trap beat nicely. In ‘Secrets,’ Micah Emrich expresses his feelings for his significant other, wondering if they feel the same way about him because he can not read them. ‘Pinky Dabs @ Midnight’ has been emerging as a fan favorite from this project. It is definitely not tough to see why people are gravitating towards this one. It has such a warm and inviting sound that gets stronger and more complex as the song moves on. The tone of the melody for this track is so sweet and luscious. There is something about this melody that reminds me of the cheeky Lovey Dovey Pop-Rock songs that were big in the late 1950s and early 1960s. ‘Pinky Dabs @ Midnight’ begins with an acoustic sound, but picks up various levels of instrumentation as the track progresses. The melody and beat both pick up emphasis the further along the track we get. My favorite part of the instrumental is the bridge, as the drum pattern in this section is so intricate, and the electric guitar that comes in is powerful. Micah Emrich delivers his best vocal performance of the project so far on ‘Pinky Dabs @ Midnight.’ He shows off his range on this one and his dynamic tone adds a ton of life to the track. On ‘Pinky Dabs @ Midnight,’ Micah Emrich reflects on his life and expresses some self-doubt in a manner that is very real.
‘Psychic,’ which features Yxng Davi, is another track that has been gaining a bit of traction since this record came out. ‘Psychic’ is very unlike anything that precedes it. Whereas the first four tracks did have a bit of an Indie Pop-Rock element to them, this one does not have that feeling. ‘Psychic’ is a track that sounds like it came right out of the future. Everything about this track is ultramodern. From the heavily synthesized melody that has a bit of a dystopian tone to the hard-hitting, majorly distorted Trap beat, ‘Psychic’ feels very cutting edge. The synths and beat pick up power as the song progresses, coming to a crescendo of sound towards the song’s end. Both Micah Emrich and Yxng Davi match the energy of the instrumental so well. Their flows and tones add to the track’s larger-than-life feeling and make it feel all the more massive. On ‘Psychic,’ Micah Emrich and Yxng Davi express confidence in themselves and in what they know they want, also stating that they are learning and growing from their mistakes and experiences. The ultramodern Alternative Hip Hop feeling we got on the last track continues with the song ‘Pictures.’ Similar to the previous song, the melody for ‘Pictures’ has a pretty dark and melancholy feeling to it compared to the songs before these two. The melody for this track has a basis in a piano riff that begins the track and becomes progressively more synthesized and distorted as the song progresses. Towards the end of the song, a very tough and harsh Guitar riff comes in. This guitar riff has a bit of a Metal element that gives so much emphasis and provides a texture we have not gotten yet on the record. It is pretty difficult to describe the beat for ‘Pictures,’ as it is so unique. At times in the track, there is an off-kilter Trap tempo that has a bit of an anxious tone. At other parts of the track, the beat takes on a Drum n Bass tempo that is reminiscent of 1990s Dance music. Micah Emrich’s vocals on this track are pretty subdued and delicate. This provides a cool contrast with the instrumental and actually makes the track feel heavier overall. On ‘Pictures,’ Micah Emrich once again gasses himself up and states that he can excel at or attain anything in his life that he wants. ‘maybe hell is a better place?’ was the first single released in anticipation of this record. As with the singles above, I will keep my description here a bit more brief as I already covered this one with a bit more depth. ‘maybe hell is a better place?’ is a lot softer than the last two tracks, The song does, however, have a hard, Grungey Outro driven by a tough guitar riff similar to the way that ‘Pictures’ ended. For the most part, tho, ‘maybe hell is a better place?’ is driven by a Folky guitar riff with a cozy tone that is out over an equally Folky Drum pattern with a delicacy that matches the melody so nicely. I love the passion Micah sings this song with. The emotions in his vocals are palpable, making this song hit very hard for a song that is instrumentally pretty laid back(until the outro, of course). On ‘maybe hell is a better place?,’ Micah Emrich questions his life and decisions, wondering if it would be worth it to just not exist at all.
‘WeKno’ is by far the most substantial song on the record. At more than 6 minutes, this one has almost double the runtime of pretty much any other song on this project. ‘WeKno’ is a track with so many textures and sounds, The first half(ish) of this one has an Atmospheric Emo-Trap sound that is very reminiscent of artists like 6dogs or or even Juice Wrld. The guitar riff that drives this melody is downtrodden yet celestial, and the synths that complement this riff have an equally floaty feeling. As the song progresses, the melody gets tougher and more distorted; the electric guitar riff that comes in gives the song emphasis, and the piano riff that comes in gives the track a ton of depth. ‘WeKno’ closes out with a drum pattern and overall sound that has an Indie Rock feeling reminiscent of the early 2010s. This outro gives the song yet another interesting element that gives it texture and makes it unique. Micah Emrich’s vocals on ‘WeKno’ are pretty soft and sultry. They create a cool contrast with the instrumental and make the song hit extra hard. I really like the raspiness in his vocals at times in this one, as it adds to the emotion of the track. On ‘WeKno,’ Micah Emrich professes his love for his partner and wonders/hopes that they feel the same way because he can not always tell how you feel. ‘Virtues’ is a track with a pretty similar feeling to the song that precedes it. This is like a more concise and slightly harder version of ‘WeKno.’ The song begins with an Emo-Trap sound driven by a very melancholy yet balmy guitar riff. Everything about the instrumentation on ‘Virtues’ picks up emphasis as the song progresses. The melody gets bigger and more distorted as the song progresses. Some extremely distorted synths which have an almost Dubstep-esque tone come in about halfway through the track. Towards the end of ‘Virtues,’ a gritty electric guitar with a metal tint slides in, making the song feel gigantic. Similar to the melody, the beat gets louder and more prominent with the song’s progression, hitting extra hard at the end to give the song a hell of a climax. Micah Emrich’s flow and tone on ‘Virtues’ are so catchy. Even though the instrumental keeps getting more bold, his even-keeled delivery keeps this track down to earth On ‘Virtues,’ Micah Emrich sings about wishing his partner would open up to them, as he just wants to do whatever he can to make their life better. Micah Emrich closes out PROMISES on a very light and sweet note with the track ‘Anything.’ This is one of the least complex and easy-going songs on the record. After the complex and heavy elements that many tracks on the back half of this record have, this softer sound is a nice way to wrap things up. The melody for ‘Anything’ is driven by a slightly twangy and bubbly guitar riff that has a feeling that makes me think of early 2000s Pop-Rock artists like Rob Thomas or Jason Mraz. This riff is complemented by synths with a string instrument quality to them, making the melody feel very full. Towards the end of the track, the guitar and synths are replaced by a very welcoming and delicate piano riff that closes out the song in a very gratifying manner. ‘Anything’ is a track devoid of a beat; I enjoy the lack of beat on this track, as it adds to the faint way that this song sends the album out. Micah Emrich’s vocals on ‘Anything’ are very tranquil and soothing; they fit the instrumental very well. On ‘Anything,’ Micah Emrich assures his partner that he will do everything he can to make them happy, willing to go do whatever is needed of him at any time. ‘Anything’ is a very gratifying way to end the album, as its sentimental sound and feeling send things out on a lovely note.
PROMISES is an album I have been looking forward to listening to ever since it was announced. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the singles from Micah Emrich that I covered this year, I just felt like this project was going to be super good as a whole. I am happy to say that Micah Emrich more than exceeded my expectations on PROMISES. He pulled out all of the stops on this project. Micah Emrich’s genre-fluidity on PROMISES is awesome. It is amazing how seamless and natural this record sounds considering how many types of music are incorporated into it. Micah Emrich’s vocals fluctuate with each track; no matter what genre is being exhibited, he is able to flow on every song so easily. Micah Emrich truly opens up lyrically on PROMISES; at times, it feels like a look into his mind because of how vulnerable he gets on some of these tracks. Overall, this is an awesome debut album for Micah Emrich. It is clear that it is an exquisite talent, and PROMISES proves why it deserves to shine and be paid attention to.
EAST SIDE VIBES 