Miserable chillers

Drawing equal inspiration from melancholic '80s sophisti-pop bands and self-reflective literature, Miserable Chillers grew from bedroom indie pop beginnings to embrace far more ornate arrangements and unexpected songwriting turns. Sole member/songwriter Miguel Gallego enlisted a host of friends to help him along the course of this evolution, reaching new levels of production and emotional expression alike on 2020's Audience of Summer. Gallego grew up in suburban New Jersey and became active in Brooklyn's D.I.Y. scene around 2012, playing in various bands at different independent venues and show spaces. He began issuing music under the Miserable Chillers moniker around 2014, self-releasing a few EPs that leaned towards lo-fi bedroom indie rock. Over the next few years, Gallego began refining the sound of Miserable Chillers, both on recordings and in live performances that sometimes included other players and sometimes consisted of Gallego on his own or with backing tracks. His 2017 EP A Flower You Would Like to Eat began leaning more towards the use of synths and programmed drums, and 2019's Schoënblintsjia explored more experimental impulses. In 2020, Gallego sharpened all of his different creative directions on the first proper Miserable Chillers full-length, Audience of Summer. Refined songwriting, detailed production, and lyrics that dug deep into childhood memories resulted in the clearest articulation of the project up until that point. ~ Fred Thomas