IT’S SO undeniably the Mersey sound; the new single from Michael Robert Murphy, erstwhile singer with Liverpool’s ace acid/folk-rock chemists The Wicked Whispers, comes swirling into spring with his new single, “Puzzles”, keeping his head held high in the city that in recent decades has brought us Micheal Head in all his beautiful incarnations, The Stairs and of course, (if we include the Cheshire bank), The Coral.
And The Coral’s James Skelly, friend and psych scene associate of many years, climbs aboard collaboratively for this sultry slice of swirling freakbeat, bouncing forward into the summer when things will hopefully really begin to swing.
“Puzzles” follows his lovely, Love, Lennon and the Stones-informed debut EP, Metamorph, from last year.
Michael says: “This body of work has been the product of raw emotion, love and fear.
“For a time, after The Wicked Whispers, I wasn’t doing music and I wasn’t happy, so I needed to get right back into it.
“The first EP was honest, the most honest thing I’ve ever done. ‘Puzzles’ is one further step forward, bringing James Skelly in, who really gave the track an edge with some amazing hooks.”
The release of “Puzzles” comes riding out with a couple of gratefully welcomed live dates for Michael; if you’re a head in the North West, then take a dive into some delish psych when he plays Liverpool’s The Arts Club Loft on Friday, November 26th. He’ll also be performing at Liverpool Sound City 2021 in October. Let the puzzle slot into place.
“Puzzles” is out today on all digital streaming platforms; connect with Michael at his website, and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
