Biography
Mikal Cronin first sharpened his skills on bass within various garage punk outfits before establishing himself as a reliable, enduring presence in Ty Segall’s ensemble. Working independently, he initially fused garage-rock energy with power-pop melodies and occasional folk-rock touches. Two albums later, this approach had grown polished and melodic, prompting a shift toward classic-rock influences on the 2015 release MCIII. By the arrival of the elaborately crafted and richly layered Seeker in 2019, his work had expanded into expansive, fully realized arrangements that left behind nearly every vestige of garage-rock origins.
Raised in Laguna Beach, California, Cronin nurtured teenage enthusiasms for both surfing and rock & roll. At Laguna Beach High School he joined classmate Ty Segall in the short-lived dance-punk project Love This. Following graduation he moved to Portland, Oregon, to pursue psychology at Lewis & Clark College, yet a serious back injury forced his return to California. During his recovery he reassessed his direction, completed additional coursework at community college, and ultimately transferred to the California Institute of the Arts to focus on music. While enrolled there he joined the surf-tinged garage group Charlie & the Moonhearts on bass; after drummer Charlie Moothart departed, the band shortened its name to the Moonhearts and issued a self-titled album via Tic Tac Totally Records in 2010. Around the same period Cronin renewed his partnership with Segall, issuing the joint recording Reverse Shark Attack in 2009 and serving as bassist in Segall’s touring group.
Cronin’s debut solo effort emerged as a form of personal reckoning once he had finished his studies and entered post-college life. Saturated with noisy pop and garage elements, the self-titled album appeared on Trouble in Mind Records in September 2011 and featured drumming from Segall along with contributions from Moothart and John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees. While continuing to perform with Segall, he delivered his second solo set, MCII, on Merge in spring 2013. After mounting a solo tour he spent 2014 composing and tracking his next record. Incorporating the Greek tzouras and deliberately pursuing a larger sonic scope, the album was divided into contrasting halves—one devoted to direct pop songs, the other a cohesive narrative sequence recounting Cronin’s coming-of-age experiences. Merge released the resulting MCIII in spring 2015.
Once touring concluded, Cronin concentrated primarily on Segall’s live band, appearing on the albums Emotional Mugger in 2016, Ty Segall in 2017, and Freedom’s Goblin in 2018. Returning to his own material, he isolated himself for a month in a cabin in Idyllwild, California, confronting creative stagnation and processing a recent breakup. When wildfires forced him to evacuate, he relocated to the studio alongside Jason Quever of Papercuts. Supported by Segall’s Freedom Band and drawing inspiration from the Beatles’ White Album, the sessions produced Seeker, Cronin’s first project devoid of garage-rock or power-pop traces and instead rooted in classic-rock textures. Merge issued the album in October 2019.
Raised in Laguna Beach, California, Cronin nurtured teenage enthusiasms for both surfing and rock & roll. At Laguna Beach High School he joined classmate Ty Segall in the short-lived dance-punk project Love This. Following graduation he moved to Portland, Oregon, to pursue psychology at Lewis & Clark College, yet a serious back injury forced his return to California. During his recovery he reassessed his direction, completed additional coursework at community college, and ultimately transferred to the California Institute of the Arts to focus on music. While enrolled there he joined the surf-tinged garage group Charlie & the Moonhearts on bass; after drummer Charlie Moothart departed, the band shortened its name to the Moonhearts and issued a self-titled album via Tic Tac Totally Records in 2010. Around the same period Cronin renewed his partnership with Segall, issuing the joint recording Reverse Shark Attack in 2009 and serving as bassist in Segall’s touring group.
Cronin’s debut solo effort emerged as a form of personal reckoning once he had finished his studies and entered post-college life. Saturated with noisy pop and garage elements, the self-titled album appeared on Trouble in Mind Records in September 2011 and featured drumming from Segall along with contributions from Moothart and John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees. While continuing to perform with Segall, he delivered his second solo set, MCII, on Merge in spring 2013. After mounting a solo tour he spent 2014 composing and tracking his next record. Incorporating the Greek tzouras and deliberately pursuing a larger sonic scope, the album was divided into contrasting halves—one devoted to direct pop songs, the other a cohesive narrative sequence recounting Cronin’s coming-of-age experiences. Merge released the resulting MCIII in spring 2015.
Once touring concluded, Cronin concentrated primarily on Segall’s live band, appearing on the albums Emotional Mugger in 2016, Ty Segall in 2017, and Freedom’s Goblin in 2018. Returning to his own material, he isolated himself for a month in a cabin in Idyllwild, California, confronting creative stagnation and processing a recent breakup. When wildfires forced him to evacuate, he relocated to the studio alongside Jason Quever of Papercuts. Supported by Segall’s Freedom Band and drawing inspiration from the Beatles’ White Album, the sessions produced Seeker, Cronin’s first project devoid of garage-rock or power-pop traces and instead rooted in classic-rock textures. Merge issued the album in October 2019.
Albums
Singles
