"The hardest working punk rocker in show business," Mikey Erg, is releasing his first true solo effort, Tentative Decisions, set to drop June 24 via Don Giovanni Records. Another teaser from the upcoming album, "Apart Time," is now streaming via Stereogum. "Apart Time" is a perfect snippet of what fans can expect from this album: he stays close to pop-punk roots, combining a driving punk track with lyrics about the sting of heartbreak to create something that's painful, relatable, and catchy as hell. The track also features the record's producer Jeff Rosenstock on guitar and synths and backing vocals by Hiccup's Alex Clute.
One of his "favorite songs on the record," Mikey says, "It's one of those tunes that just popped out. Like, it was written in the time it took to play it. Those usually end up being my favorites."
The highly anticipated album Tentative Decisions is lauded as Mikey Erg's first true solo effort, chock full of songs that show "that he's still capable of writing broken-hearted love songs, only with a newfound confidence that makes them hit even harder" (-A.V. Club). Having played on so many other people's records, Tentative Decisions is the first true
Mikey Erg solo effort. It's also the first album of original material he's released since the Ergs' Upstairs/ Downstairs, released nearly ten years ago.
Though they started as a project by a bunch of high school kids from New Jersey, The Ergs went on to be a nationally recognized and beloved punk band. After they disbanded in 2008,
Mikey Erg (keeping the moniker earned while playing in The Ergs) went on to contribute to numerous projects: he's played in, toured with, and performed on records with Dirt Bike Annie, The Unlovables, The Dopamines, Star fing Hipsters, House Boat, and Worriers, even sitting in with Weston at their recent reunion shows. He also played drums in the house band for The
Chris Gethard Show, a weirdo, fringe late night TV show hosted by fellow Don Giovanni Records alum Chris Gethard. Between all those projects,
Mikey Erg has also fostered a Billy Bragg-style solo project, where he performs with just a mic and an electric guitar, all over the world.
"Most of the songs were written in the latter half of the last year," Mikey says. "It came together pretty quickly which I love. Everything about the record fell into place totally organically."
The album was produced by fellow renowned DIY artist
Jeff Rosenstock and comes out June 24th via Don Giovanni Records. Be sure to check out "Apart Time," now on Stereogum, and his extensive list of tour dates below!
Stream + Share "Apart Time"
Catch
Mikey Erg live on tour:
6/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting
Factory (Record Release Show)
6/15 - Philadelphia, PA @
Kung Fu Necktie*
6/16 - Ithaca, NY @ Chanti-Loft*
6/18 - Toronto, ON @ The Silver Dollar (NXNE)*
6/19 - Detroit, MI @ El Club*
6/20 - Chicago, IL @ Burlington
6/21 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop*
6/22 - Cincinnati, OH @ North Side Yacht Club*
6/23 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Sonny's Tavern*
6/24 - Richmond, VA @ Gallery 5*
6/26 - Baltimore, MD @ Sidebar*
6/27 -
Washington DC @ DC9*
7/5 - Las Vegas, NV @
Beauty Bar ^
7/6 - Phoenix, AZ @
Pub Rock Live ^
7/7 - Albuquerque, NM @
Launchpad ^
7/8 - Denver, CO @
Marquis Theater ^
7/9 - Salt Lake City, UT @
Kilby Court ^
7/10 - Boise, ID @ The Shredder ^
7/11 - Seattle, WA @
El Corazon ^
7/12 - Portland, OR @
Analog ^
7/13 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill ^
7/14 - Fullerton, CA @ Slidebar ^
7/15 - San Diego, CA @
Kensington Club ^
7/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubador ^
* with Worriers
^ with The Falcon, The Copyrights, and Sam Russo
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