After listening to Mikey Erg's new album Love At Leeds, all I could say to myself was "Holy crap!". It's not that I'm surprised that Mikey Erg made a great record. It was 22 years ago that I wrote my first rave review of an Ergs! release. I have consistently referred to The Ergs! as THE greatest pop-punk band post-2000, and I have not been disappointed whatsoever with Mikey's recent run of solo albums. That said, Love At Leeds is next level stuff. Of course I'd be burying the lede if I didn't mention that this release fulfills Mikey's life-long dream of recording an album with Steve Albini. With his talented Tentative Decisions players (Jeff Rosenstock, Alex Clute, and Lou Hanman) in tow, Mikey headed out to Chicago last year to make a record with the legendary sound engineer. Mikey had always wanted to capture the "Steve Albini sound" on record (Nirvana's In Utero is one of his favorite albums), and he fully realizes that ambition on the extraordinary Love At Leeds. Does that mean that this is Mikey's "grunge" record? Not quite. This still sounds very much like a Mikey Erg album -- albeit one sonically influenced by '90s indie/alternative rock. It continues the direction of Tentative Decisions and 2019's superb Waxbuilt Castles -- occasionally dipping its toes into the pop-punk pool but also drawing from Mikey's myriad of influences in the larger worlds of pop and rock.
It's necessary to mention that Love at Leeds sounds amazing. This was Mikey Erg's first-ever all-analog recording, and the results do not disappoint. I don't know if this is a "power pop" record per se, but it's very powerful and very pop. The guitars and drums in particular sound like a million bucks. Yet what matters the most is that this is as strong of a batch of songs as Mikey has ever written. Songs like "Caroline Told Me So" and "Almost Like Judee Still" reaffirm that this guy is a master of the pop-punk craft. But this album hits its high points when Mikey strays from formula. "Always Like This" is dark, hard-rocking, and packed with raw emotion. "Goodnight Vienna" is pure pop done to perfection. The standout "Landmines" manages to acknowledge Mikey's love for Nirvana without trying to be Nirvana. "On a Carousel" is exactly what a Hollies cover recorded by Steve Albini ought to sound like.
You have to wonder if the Mikey Erg of 22 years ago ever dreamed that someday an album of his would be recorded by Steve Albini and mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. He's probably still pinching himself to make sure this is all for real! From the moment I first heard the likes of "Thinking With My Heart" and "Blue" all those years ago, I knew Mikey was destined for great things. He really is one of the finest singer/songwriters in the modern-day pop word, and he's only getting better at his craft. Love At Leeds is his crowning achievement to date. Get it now from Don Giovanni Records!
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