Doherty’s quick and wordy melodies on “Baseball Player” are reminiscent of Nate Ruess, the former frontman of The Format and short-lived trio fun., who shares a similar vocal range. While Ruess would commonly tap into theatricality with more opulence and grandeur as part of fun., Doherty’s theatricality tends more towards indie folk wholesomeness, coming off a bit easier to stomach than the over-the-top, mega-hits we all know and… well, remember from Ruess.
At its best, Wishes to Fulfull achieves the magical feeling of undeniably happy and emotive pop music. “Water Pressure” and “Common Ground” have choruses that feel classic, satisfying, and healing. The title track is equally upbeat, happy, catchy, etc., but in a more unhinged way than the two tracks before it. Maybe it’s the focus on electric guitar instead of acoustic, or Doherty’s slightly lower vocal tone, but this song’s production has more grit and simplicity that leans towards rock more than most anything on the project. It’s a needed pivot from the sugary sweet tracks preceding it, and also one of the most compact, singable compositions on the project.
The most noticeable bump in Wishes’ short runtime is when Another Michael plays somewhere between a band and a bedroom producer act; case in point, the final track “Piano Lessons.” At the core of every track on the album (besides “Research”), you hear what sounds like a live band delivering a tight performance in the studio aided by layered background vocals and guitars to add emotion and depth. “Piano Lessons” is shooting for something grand, progressive, and detailed, but the weaker hook, boomy drums and repetitive songwriting is not as gripping as the songs before it. It’s an effective closer to the album, and a peak towards the next one, but its emotion feels too manufactured in comparison to the ease at which songs like “Angel,” “Water Pressure,” and “Wishes to Fulfill” achieve their impact.
This ambitious closer is a massive cliffhanger to listeners; what was going to come from this “expansive” and “experimental” follow-up record? At the time of Wishes to Fulfill’s release, the only available preview of Pick Me Up was a stark, piano-only track that was rooted in feelings of overwhelming stress… simply the opposite of the warm hug that is “Common Ground,” a defining single and moment of Wishes.
After returning from a loaded winter of touring in late 2023 — including a stint with recent indie rock favs Ratboys — the singles began to pour out. “Is There A World?” featured a random section of piano dissonance; “Seafood” opens up like a hungry person dreaming about a shellfish platter; “I’m Your Roommate” featured James Taylor-esque group vocals; and “Hub of Dreams” could’ve been a more conventional closer to Wishes. Another Michael had definitely given fans some interesting material to dwell on.
Pick Me Up, Turn Me Upside Down has a bit of everything, starting off with “I’ve Come Around To That,” which rocks harder than anything on the previous project. The 5-minute epic — which also kicked off their setlist on May 24th at Johnny’s Brenda’s — is an anthemic highlight from the album. From here, a dreamy aura ensues via layered guitars, slower tempos, and airy reverbs. “Mudslide” and “Is There A World?” deliver memorable hooks, but catchiness does not seem to be the main focus of these songs. Doherty shoves many words into phrases that end up going “over the bar” and shifting the next line, making for unpredictable songwriting. “Another Reindeer” reads like abstract poetry on paper, and peaks the unpredictability meter for the first half of the album by throwing any clues of song structure away.
