Miki Berenyi Trio – Island Of One
Miki Berenyi Trio — Miki Berenyi (formerly of Lush and Piroshka), KJ “Moose” McKillop (of ’90s shoegazers Moose), and guitarist Oliver Cherer — are back with a standalone single on Bella Union. “Island Of One” arrives ahead of a UK and Ireland tour, and it’s a different gear from the home-studio atmospherics of last year’s debut album Tripla: faster, punchier, more immediate.
The origin story is specific. “Island of One took shape because I became quite obsessed with the track ‘Just A Western’ by Nilüfer Yanya last year, and the Latin-y beat got me inspired”, Berenyi explains. “But I wanted a lively, catchy song to add to our live set, so it ended up less laidback and more ’60s-breezy with some driving, scratchy guitars — once all three MB3 members pile in on the embellishments, a song ends up a fair distance from where it started!” Recording and production happened across the band’s various home setups, and the mix was handled by Paul Gregory of Lanterns on the Lake, a fellow Bella Union artist.
What I notice is how well the song earns its energy — the Latin-inflected rhythm underneath the guitars gives it a looseness that stops it tipping into straight indie rock, and the scratchy guitar work has a restlessness that fits the lyrical mood.
On that front, Berenyi is clear about what she was after: “Lyrically, I’m at the age where a lot of my friends have elderly parents who are increasingly reliant on their help. It’s a new phase in a life relationship and can throw up a lot of emotions. But the words apply as much to all manner of family break-ups and the fraying of long-standing friendships. When you’re young, it’s much easier to justify walking away, but I’m acutely aware, as I get older, of how important even a thread of connection with people who have shared our lives can be, however difficult those relationships can be to maintain.” It’s specific enough to feel real and open enough to land in more than one direction.
The live performance video was shot in North West London by regular MB3 visual collaborator Sébastien Faits-Divers. For the tour, the band will have a limited-edition “Island Of One / Stranger” 7-inch at the merch table, packaged with sleeve artwork by Chris Bigg and Martin Anderson — following the sold-out “Doldrum Days” 7-inch from their October US tour. A new album is reportedly in progress. I included this one because it’s a band operating with real confidence on a standalone track, and the Yanya-to-shoegaze-pop pipeline is not something you see every day.
Tour Dates Europe:
- April 20 — Manchester, UK — Yes Basement
- April 22 — Dublin, Ireland — The Grand Social
- April 23 — Limerick, Ireland — Kasbah
- April 24 — Waterford, Ireland — Bank Lane
- May 23 — Chelmsford, UK — Hot Box
- May 24 — Catton Park, UK — Bearded Theory Festival
- June 18 — Portsmouth, UK — Wedgewood Rooms
- June 19 — London, UK — Bush Hall
- June 20 — Norwich, UK — Norwich Arts Centre
- June 24 — Birmingham, UK — Institute 2
- June 25 — Liverpool, UK — Academy 2
- June 26 — Hebden Bridge, UK — Trades Club
