When “Shout It Out” (the lead-off single off of Mikal Cronin’s MCII) was released in February, it served as a hopeful sliver of sunny days to come. Well, those days are here — and if Cronin’s tunes don’t sound catchier than the heatwave is hot, you’re either still in that Yeezus-induced coma or your A/C unit froze your sense of musical taste.
Prior to MCII, Cronan was mostly recognized for his work with Ty Segall, which included performing on Ty Segall Band’s ear-blasting, fun-smashing Slaughterhouse. But as exemplified by the jangle of an acoustic guitar and some cautious vocals, “Shout It Out” casts Cronin in his own melodic-driven light. And even though the lyrics are sealed in self-doubt (Cronin mopily blames himself for blaming things on himself) and the chorus is a fuzz-infused kick to a frustrated mouth, Cronin throws in just enough claps and an “ouh ouh” or two to make sure there isn’t an ounce of cloud cast over the three minutes of summer-strumming perfection. As tossed around and cliché as it is to say, “Shout It Out” — and honestly MCII in its entirety — is the perfect soundtrack for the summer heat.