Particle Kid

Particle Kid represents an experimental future-folk endeavor led by Los Angeles musician and visual artist Micah Nelson. As the youngest son of country legend Willie Nelson and a periodic participant in sibling Lukas Nelson’s group Promise of the Real, Micah has issued an array of Particle Kid recordings that pursue an inquisitive path, blending lo-fi loops and unusual textural components with direct folk and indie rock compositions. Throughout the second half of the 2010s he maintained an intense output, issuing albums such as 2017’s Everything Is Bullshit and 2019’s Window Rock before unveiling the expansive two-hour set Time Capsule in 2022.

The moniker originated during Micah’s teenage years when Willie Nelson, intending to greet his returning “prodigal son” after a school journey, uttered the garbled phrase “particle kid” while under the influence. From that point Micah began exploring D.I.Y. methods and constructing ethereal psychedelic environments across assorted instruments and sonic palettes. Following several demos, a lone single, and independent EPs, he placed Particle Kid material with California’s Dome of Doom Records starting in 2012. After the Shapes EP he gathered earlier material for the 2014 collection Demo-Itis. Around the same time he joined Lukas and Promise of the Real to support Neil Young across multiple concerts.

In subsequent years Micah balanced these commitments, performing in large halls alongside Young while maintaining intimate Particle Kid appearances and assembling the orchestral unit Insects vs. Robots alongside various visual projects that included an animated series. The 2017 self-titled Particle Kid album and the distorted Everything Is Bullshit advanced his approach, as did the 2018 joint effort Particle War with L.A. folk-punk musician Sunny War. He closed the decade with 2019’s Window Rock and surfaced early the following year via the live recording Live! Underground.

Even against his established productivity, Nelson’s ensuing undertaking proved monumental. Captured across multiple sites and on formats stretching from 2" analog tape to four-track cassette, the 2022 release Time Capsule comprised two hours and twenty-six tracks spanning diverse styles, with appearances from Sean Ono Lennon, J Mascis, Margo Price, and Willie Nelson.