Formed in 2011, Austin-by-way-of-Detroit psychedelic rockers Migrant Kids are set to release their self-titled debut record on September 24th. Coming from migrant families themselves, cousins Miguel Ojeda and John Zakoor use this familial history of travel to inform their own unique brand of densely striated music. Soon after the formation of the band, the duo left Detroit for the sunny city of Austin, where they ran into Bryan O’Flynn, who came onboard as the third and final member of Migrant Kids. Himself a recent transplant from Cincinnati, O’Flynn shared the band’s Midwest connections and attitudes, and they soon got to work on the songs which would form the basis of their debut. Two years later, the band is finally ready to share these songs with their fans.
For our first taste of their debut, the band has released lead single “Canvas Of Me,” a rollicking burst of pop sensibilities and hook-y, interlocking rhythms. Delving deeply into blossoming layers of hazy synths and sun-soaked guitars, with waves of tribal percussion spilling out over the sides, the track is both informed of, and separate from, their own personal histories. Feeling both reverent of their influences and determined to break free of them, Migrant Kids make music that seems to be decades old at times but also modern and relevant. It’s this purposeful dichotomy of influences that keeps their music, and “Canvas of Me” in particular, from feeling too staid or self-aware. Stadium-sized yet intimate, the band never allows the rafter-reaching emotion to overcome the track’s more subtle, communal tendencies.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere the lead single, “Canvas Of Me,” from Migrant Kids’ upcoming self-titled debut record.
