MIcachu is 21-year-old Mica Levy and her band is the Shapes. So named because they have geometric figures on their shirts maybe, but maybe more for the fractured blocks of pop-tics turned inside out and flush against each other in their music's skewed minimalism. The British trio turned in our favorite set by a newcomer at this year's SXSW; they've also turned in one of 2009's best debut albums in Jewellery. It's all good enough that I went to see them again at the tiny Williamsburg listening room Death By Audio the night after we returned from Austin -- a night traditionally reserved for the icing of backs and livers -- because Micachu's irresistible on stage, but also to hear again the way their sets further reconfigure the material's jagged dynamics and arrangements. "Golden Phone"'s melodies have a summer breeze, the pulse is sugary sweet, and there are some nice aural curveballs at the edges, so it's a nice choice for a June-reintroduction to the trio before a slate of summer dates. And there probably isn't a better way to give it a video than with patty-cake, finger snaps, and the three being adorable in front of a green screen. So, here you go:
Jewellery is out via Rough Trade. Here's a take-away sample:
Micachu & The Shapes - "Lips" (MP3)
You should see them live:
06/05 - London, UK @ Cable (Kwesachu Mixtape Launch)
06/19 - Barcelona, Spain (Sonar Festival)
06/28 - Glastonbury, UK (Glastonbury Festival)
07/04 - Roskilde, Denmark (Roskilde Festival)
07/13 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
07/14 - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
07/15 - Montreal, QC @ il Motore
07/16 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
07/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe
07/18 - Brooklyn, NY (Siren Festival)
07/21 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echo
07/22 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Shop
07/23 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
07/24 - Seattle, WA (Capitol Hill Block Party)
07/26 - Dorset, UK (Camp Bestival)
08/01 - London, UK (Field Day Festival)
08/02 - Herfordshire, UK (Standon Calling Festival)
08/07 - Myslowice, Poland (Off Festival)
08/08 - Berlin, Germany (Berlin Festival)
08/16 - Leicester, UK (Summer Sundae)
09/03 - Dublin, Ireland (Electric Picnic)
09/12 - Isle Of Wight, UK (Bestival)
10/15 - London, UK @ The Scala
