Autumn's Mutt

Entertwine: Could you tell us a bit about your background? What led you to pursue a career in music in the first place? What is the significance of your moniker?

Music has always been a common thread in my life – I’ve gone through a bunch of phases in my life, crazy and interesting enough to be put into song and lyric. As a kid, I grew up taking piano lessons, and later, I taught myself how to sing and play guitar. I started to write and play my own songs in college – so “Autumn’s Mutt” blossomed from a rather fun experiment to a more meaningful “life” experiment. The moniker just sort of sounded cool.

Entertwine: What does a day in the life of Michael Chung look and sound like? What is it like living in Quebec?

I don’t have a confident answer – things are kind of up in the air for me. Since I’ve finished writing and recording my debut album last June, everything became quite technical and mundane. After graduating university, I’ve been working part-time – saving for things that matter. In some ways, I’m rebuilding my life – mostly from past damage from lies and stuff. I live just south of Montreal – and being in Montreal is wickedly fun. Lots of music and huge events and wild partying. But I haven’t ventured out of this area to really give a solid opinion of Quebec as a whole.

Entertwine: Tell us about the seven tracks that make up your debut album “We Are Constellations”; what experiences and events inspired the writing and recording of these particular compositions? Could you tell us about each of the featured songs? What gear and equipment was used to create this record?

From the outset, my hope for these songs is so they will relate to as many people as possible. There’s a hidden layer, as they’re absolutely reflective of who I am, what I’ve done, what I strive for, and what I believe in. My faith in God, denouncement of social stratification, wild penchant to have fun, and struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder are a few key examples. “Platitude Magnitude” is a satire on corporate culture and vapid conversations; “Schoolboy Prime” is an epitome of desire and idealism; and “Beasts” is a fun yarn on Chinese New Year lore. To create this record, I used a laptop/DAW, an outboard sound mixer, a MIDI keyboard, a condenser mic, and an electric and acoustic guitar.

Entertwine: How does “We Are Constellations” differ from or expand on the “Snowflakes” EP (which you released in 2012)? Were they written and recorded similarly or differently?

I really had a wide range of inspiration for “We Are Constellations”. Though it’s primarily a psych pop and synthpop album, it also borrows from other genres, I guess, like pop-punk, indie rock, shoegaze and folk. It’s definitely more ambitious and expansive than my “Snowflakes” EP. Everything about writing and recording “We Are Constellations” was different – in fact, it had benefitted from a structured approach of sorts.

Entertwine: What does 2015 hold in store for Autumn’s Mutt? Do you have any upcoming performances?

I’m still in the middle of rebuilding a ton of things around me. Creatively-speaking, I hope to finish a music video that some friends started shooting with me last autumn. I’m playing my debut album launch show, too, at the end of February, at a Montreal coffeehouse. In the meantime, you should check out “We Are Constellations” on SoundCloud or Bandcamp!

Jacqueline Cassell /// Entertwine /// February 17, 2015 - Entertwine

Michael Chung n’a peut-être que 24 ans, mais ce Brossardois commence à faire parler de lui pour sa musique.

Au début de novembre, le jeune homme lancera un premier album, qu’il a produit lui-même, un exploit que peu d’artistes arrivent à faire de nos jours, d’autant plus que les prix de production ne sont pas à la portée de tous.

Intitulé Snowflakes, son opus mettra de l’avant des chansons pop-indie, avec quelques pointes plus électroniques, dont les paroles en langue anglaise viennent de son inspiration.

La Vie et le Futur:

D’ailleurs, son nom d’artiste, Autumn’s Mutt, que peut paraître étrange au début, est lui aussi une inspiration du moment.

Il est toutefois sans réelle signification quant au choix de ses thèmes préférés. L’artiste aime plutôt parler de ses expériences personnelles de la vie et de sa vision d’espoir pour le futur.

« J’ai toujours été intéressé à jouer de la musique. Quand j’étais plus jeune, je jouais du piano et il y a environ 8 ans, j’ai commencé à jouer de la guitare », raconte-t-il. Même si le piano est un instrument plus classique que la guitare, il voit plusieurs similarités entre les deux instruments lorsqu’il interprète des pièces.

Artiste et Scientifique:

L’auteur-compositeur-interprète, qui se décrit comme un autodidacte dans l’apprentissage de la guitare, a étudié dans un programme de science avant de bifurquer vers la musique.

Même s’il consacre beaucoup de temps, et aussi une grande partie de son budget, à ses projets musicaux, il ne sait pas encore s’il mettra totalement de côté sa carrière de scientifique pour sa passion pour la musique.

Pour l’instant, il donne quelques concerts à Montréal, dans des cafés où se rassemblent souvent les jeunes. Et qui sait, avec sa détermination, peut-être se produira-t-il bientôt sur les plus grandes scènes du monde?

Jean-Virgile Tassé-Themens /// Brossard Éclair /// August 29, 2012 - Brossard Éclair

Michael Chung is a Brossard-based multi-instrumentalist with a knack for crafting unconventional pop. His new EP, We Are Constellations, boasts diverse instrumentation, heartfelt lyrics, and carefully thought-out melodies, and proves to be an enjoyable and easy listen from front to back.

Chung is direct in his songwriting, especially lyrically – many of his songs seek to inspire and uplift, and are full of motivational statements. None are ironic, though – combined with Chung’s eager vocal deliveries, they come across as genuine and are often moving. Occasionally, these deliveries lose their rhythm, making for some awkward phrasing (as on “Emocentrica”), but on dreamier tracks like “Platitude Magnitude,” such phrasing isn’t noticeable. In the end, it’s just an eccentricity – it distinguishes Chung from the pack of quantization-obsessed electro-poppers out there now, without bringing down the overall quality of the work.

I look forward to hearing where Chung goes on his next project. This one is currently available on a pay-what-you-want basis on his Bandcamp: go give it a listen!

Emmett McCleary /// Total Eclipse /// April 22, 2015 - Total Eclipse CKUT 90.3 FM

Autumn’s Mutt finally released a proper full-length debut album! “We are Constellations” is a great blend of indie pop, arena rock and alternative music falling somewhere along the lines of Death Cab For Cutie, The Temper Trap or Coldplay, just to name a few.

Although the sound of the album is dense, thick and well-layered, the best thing about this release is that it is all about simple and direct melodies. The songs are extremely easy to relate to, and the eclectic arrangements make it even more interesting. “Platitude Magnitude” features haunting ambient landscapes and glitchy percussive sounds, while single “Beasts” is more rhythmically oriented and psychedelic.

Autumn’s Mutt succeeds in the effort to combine the simplicity of pop with the sophisticated sounds of electronica and psychedelia. The result is a really interesting debut album that offers many different textures and a really wide dynamic (and sonic) range.

Peter Vidani /// The Bandcamp Diaries /// February 3, 2015 - The Bandcamp Diaries

From the semi-arctic region of Quebec comes the appropriately titled EP Snowflakes, brought to you by the one-man entity known as Autumn’s Mutt. Having been inspired by the burgeoning and seemingly ubiquitous indie scene, he began composing songs in 2008.

Snowflakes, consisting of four tracks, is the ‘Mutt’s second EP. Though some winter imagery exists, the EP is more than just a seasonal offering.

As the opening track begins, time slows down. The music hangs above the listener like a cloud of incense. On that note, Snowflakes would make a good complement to a venue designated for smoke-related products (tobacco use only).

Though the first track contains abrupt insertions of electronic music, they may not entirely jolt the listener back to sobriety. Strangely, the drums don’t enter until three-quarters of the way into the song; these drums almost function as an exit solo.

Track 2, “Slow Reverse,” is a rather more vivacious affair. But not everything is carefree. The speaker ruminates over the often harsh realities of our world, and also confronts the potential limitations of his own emotional capacities:

“Will it be fine if I don’t care when all the world is survival of the fit? / Will it be cool if I shy away from a friend bleeding out from his soul?”

This song apparently has a philosophical agenda, as 85% of the lyrics are devoted to asking questions about abstract concepts. A reverb-intense guitar solo adds a cool touch to the latter part, which is somewhat reminiscent of pop-punk sultans Taking Back Sunday.

On the fourth and final track, “The Bush is Alive,” Autumn’s Mutt indulges his stated ambition to “bring into life as close as can ever be what many mistakenly believe is lifeless, cold and relative.”

If you want to wind down an evening with metaphysical inquiry and a slight hint of the ominous, Snowflakes could suffice. Autumn’s Mutt offers a youthful self-consciousness and quest for self-discovery that could appeal to many a listener.

Ray Cavanaugh /// Skope Magazine /// January 4, 2013 - Skope Magazine

Autumn's Mutt - Beasts

The Hype Machine /// April 29, 2015 - The Hype Machine

“Beasts” is a strikingly creative track from Autumn’s Mutt, the project of Montreal-based musician Michael Chung, that combines idiosyncratic vocals/lyrics with a gorgeously effervescent synth accompaniment. The “animals, animals, animals” backing vocals add to the slight yet effective rhythmic accompaniment, yet still rightfully allowing the loopy synths and sporadic vocals to take the lead. The heightened pitch and handclap-like percussion during the chorus are a great production choice, with the melodic synths and lush acoustic strums (reminding me of surf-pop with its harmonic reach — like Brian Wilson’s drug-accompanied material during the early ’70s, especially around 01:40) making a great impression. The hints of vibrant surf-pop and experimental electronica, not too dissimilar than the best work from Animal Collective, make Autumn Mutt’s sound enthralling and colorful.

Mike Mineo /// Obscure Sound /// April 29, 2015 - Obscure Sound

Autumn’s Mutt is the solo moniker of Montreal-based musician Michael Chung. It’s a psychedelic synthpop project which also draws inspiration from folk–the closest comparisons might be Animal Collective or Youth Lagoon, but Autumn’s Mutt is its own unique breed. “Beasts” is the first single off of the forthcoming debut album, We Are Constellations, which will be released in early February. It’s a deliciously strange track, pitting hypnotizing, droning vocals, a little folk-like guitar part, and a shimmering psychedelic atmosphere against each other.

Melina Murray /// Raw and Unheard /// November 23, 2014 - Raw and Unheard

"Beasts" is an extremely innovative track that combines idiosyncratic vocals/lyrics with a gorgeously effervescent synth accompaniment. The "animals, animals, animals" backing vocals add to the slight yet effective rhythmic accompaniment, yet still rightfully allowing the loopy synths and sporadic vocals to take the lead. The heightened pitch and handclap-like percussion during the chorus are a great production choice, with the melodic synths (reminding me of surf-pop with its harmonic reach -- like Brian Wilson's awesome material during the early '70s) making a great impression. I'm hearing hints of vibrant surf-pop and experimental electronica, not too dissimilar than the best work from Animal Collective. This track should absolutely find its niche -- it's fantastically creative and enthralling throughout. Really fantastic!

Mike Mineo /// February 24, 2015

Didn't expect that vocal to accompany the beginning for seconds of music, but it's uniqueness is perfectly suited for those wacky lyrics / melody. I'm not sure what to classify this track as other than novelty / experimental. Whether that's a good thing or bad thing would take a few more listens. Interesting.

Chelsea Schwartz /// February 20, 2015 - Fluence

“Schoolboy Prime,” by Autumn's Mutt (Montreal, Quebec) From We Are Constellations.

Jake Fryes /// Typhoid Radio /// March 31, 2015 - Typhoid Radio