Indie Rock Hit Parade Live Session: Mike Krol

Mike Krol | Photo by Emily De Hart for XPN

Joining us for this Indie Rock Hit Parade live session is a real character. Los Angeles singer Mike Krol draws from his roots in graphic design to make punchy, electrifying power-punk. Over the course of four albums (the latest of which, Power Chords, was released at the beginning of this year on Merge), Krol has concocted blown-out anthems of heartbreak and joy. Before a show at Boot and Saddle earlier this year, Krol brought his band, bassist Allison Crutchfield (also of Swearin’, Waxahatchee and p.s. eliot), guitarists Graham Hunt and Sean Lango, and drummer Brian Granillo, to our studio to rip through a bunch of songs from Power Chords.

The set begins with a thunderous rendition of the album’s title track, perfectly setting the scene. There’s hardly a pause before the warped feedback at the end of the song gives way to the intro to “What’s the Rhythm,” another of what I’m partial to calling one of Krol’s ‘tuff jams.’ Next is “I Wonder,” where Krol and Crutchfield share the spotlight and the chorus, and Hunt and Lango’s guitars trade off in a kind of mirror of the vocal combo.

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“An Amblunace,” one of the album’s pre-release songs comes next, keeping the headrush of energy going. And if you were looking for a soothing ballad to close out this set, keep looking; “Little Drama” is one of the record’s heaviest moments and here it speeds by like a stampede.

Listen to Mike Krol’s Indie Rock Hit Parade session below and check out Emily De Hart’s photos from the studio. We’ll have some session video to share soon, but don’t miss Mike Krol + Swearin’ on their upcoming tour (which makes TWO stops in Philly at the beginning of August). Full dates are below…