Peter Michel left home to begin life as a touring musician when he was in high school, playing drums in the San Francisco group Craft Spells. And now that he’s now reached the ripe old age of twenty-one, with five years of legitimate touring life behind him and a new career as Hibou before him, he feels home calling for him. “I actually recorded half of the new album at my parents’ home,” Michel says of Hibou, his debut LP for Barsuk.
And while the album does repurpose some of the warm, rounded-edged pop tones of Michel’s former group, the video he and his touring band have shared for album cut “Above Us” strips away the song’s buoyant drum pattern and sticky guitar work, leaving behind a cascading piano melody and Michel’s gentle voice. Armed with nothing more than piano, bass, and acoustic guitar, and lit by the sunlight coming through the windows, the trio transform Michel’s parents’ living room into an intimate cafe space and reveal the expertly built structure that supports one of Hibou’s strongest songs.
Watch the FLOOD premiere of “Above Us” below—and stream lead single “Dissolve”—then keep reading for Hibou’s dates opening for Cayucas.
Hibou track list
“Dissolve”
“Valium”
“When the Season Ends”
“Above Us”
“Sunder”
“Eleanor”
“Glow”
“In the Sun”
“Hide Away”
“Shutter Song”
“Keeping Still”
Hibou tour dates
July
22 – Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
23 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
24 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
25 – Loving Touch – Detroit, MI
26 – The Garrison – Toronto, ON
28 – The Hollow – Albany, NY
29 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA
31 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
August
01 – Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA
03 – Rock & Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
05 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
06 – Gasa Gasa – New Orleans, LA
07 – Fitzgerald’s – Houston, TX
08 – Three Links – Dallas, TX
09 – The Parish – Austin, TX
14 – El Rey – Los Angeles, CA
15 – Soho – Santa Barbara, CA
16 – Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA
17 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
20 – Electric Owl – Vancouver, BC
21 – Barboza – Seattle, WA
22 – Wild Buffalo – Bellingham, WA
Hibou is out September 18 on Barsuk.
