Bright bouncy pop from the depths
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Dark arts … Michael Angelakos sees Passion Pit as being a bit ike musical theatre.
Source: Supplied
DEPENDING on how you listen to Passion Pit, they’re either making euphoric indie pop or incredibly subversive twisted pop.
Passion Pit’s frontman Michael Angelakos loves the fact some people don’t delve into his trademark of dark lyrics delivered in a sky-high voice over joyous pop melodies.
“That’s my favourite part of it all,” Angelakos says. “That’s how it translates in a live setting. People are dancing and crowd surfing as I’m singing about some pretty dismal stuff!
“That’s an amazing way to deal with all that pain. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I felt so alone going through all the things I’ve written about. So I’m completely combating it by going on stage and embracing the audience and having the audience embracing me. It’s like group therapy almost. It’s this communal thing that is so wonderful and rewarding. It’s one of the greatest things that have ever happened to me. I’m super lucky.”
Touring the last Passion Pit album, 2012’s Gossamer, was overshadowed by Angelakos revealing he had bipolar disorder after he cancelled some key shows.
Since then he’s been working with and speaking out for mental health groups and being a role model merely by continuing to do his job, including making new album Kindred.
“I just don’t see why it has to be such a big deal to be open about it,” he says. “It’s just another type of illness people deal with. I’ve got amazing notes from fans, other artists and people in the media from people appreciating what I did. And I didn’t even know what I was doing, I was just being honest. Now it’s turned into something where I’m speaking up more consciously and trying to help get some change. Trust me we’re living in the dark ages when it comes to mental health.
“I’m happy to be part of a world where there are a lot of groups and campaigns and people working to bring more light to the subject and hopefully make some serious changes. The way the media handles it the grossest of all, in terms of how much its misconstrued. That was something I dealt with a lot.”
On top with a new album … Angelakos on stage during the Coke Zero Countdown at the NCAA March Madness Music Festival in Indiana on April 4. Picture: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Turner
Source: Getty Images
“Someone asked me if I regret talking about and in no way do I regret it. But I think some people think it’s the only thing I write about. I didn’t intentionally write about bipolar disorder on this record, if people want to read that into it it’s fine.
“I mean, there’s complications due to bipolar I write about, the music is inherently bipolar. The whole Passion Pit project is inherently bipolar. It’s all about juxtaposition, it’s all about weighing light and heavy, dark and light, all different types of dichotomies.”
Angelakos remembers a Rolling Stone review of a Passion Pit album that called them “bipolar indie rock”.
“OK, that’s incredibly condescending but at the same time I guess you could make the argument that it is bipolar if you take out the mental illness connotation. I’m writing multi-narrative songs. Specifically with this album there’s no unified statement as to what this record is about, no reviewer can agree what it’s about. They’re all completely different and I love that. Anyone can read into it whatever they want.”
Angelakos is the first to admit he has to get into character to make a Passion Pit album.
Giving it his all … Angelakos and Passion Pit at the 2010 Adelaide Big Day Out.
Source: News Limited
“I need a lot of energy to make a Passion Pit record,” he says. “It’s a very particular sound and style of production. It’s very taxing lyrical process. You have to be in a particular space to do it. It’s not my go-to style, which is something I like about it. It’s a character, it’s a version of me. That’s fun but that requires sitting down and really thinking about it. It’s a pretty interesting challenge assuming the role.
“I have to utilise this hyper-energy pop to make sense of these issues I’m dealing with, that’s inherently me tapping into this younger version of myself. It just feels like I’m in a time machine. That’s how I’m able to pull this off.”
Indeed, he thinks of Passion Pit as musical theatre — but more Sondheim than Lloyd Webber.
“Musical theatre is about playing a character, singing through a narrative. If you were to describe what a musical sounds like on a record that kind of applies to how you’d describe Passion Pit. There’s not really a general, linear narrative but it’s still their story, still their character and still their whole world. I’m an opera nut. There’s so many histrionic elements in Passion Pit it makes sense to describe it as musical theatre.
Music with a message … Angelakos performing on stage in Philadelphia, 2012. Picture: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Source: AP
“I don’t have a problem with writing really personal lyrics so long as it’s through this very theatrical project. It allows me to make sense of it and be that honest. I’m not hiding behind anything, I’m openly saying this is me, this issue is mine, but there’s something about utilising this very theatrical world that allows me to be super honest. I’m not painting myself in the nicest light, but it makes more sense and it’s artistically very liberating. It’s fun to sneak in something dark.”
Between Gossamer and Kindred Angelakos made another major self-discovery — the need to stay busy.
As well as a brief holiday and a marriage to longtime partner Kristina Mucci (Kindred is dedicated to her) Angelakos has moved into other musical projects.
He sang on electronic act Skrillex’s album Recess (with rapper Fatman Scoop) and provides the vocals on DJ Madeon’s new single Pay No Mind.
Angelakos has also formed a songwriting partnership with hit maker Benny Blanco (Katy Perry, Maroon 5) and are writing for new US singer Ryn Weaver.
“I’m really getting into writing for other people,” Angelakos says. “It’s been really fun. I always wanted to stay true to the Passion Pit sound and I feel that after three albums I’ve really nailed it with this one.”
An earlier incarnation … Passion Pit’ toured Australia as part of the 2010 Big Day Out festival.
Source: Supplied
Blanco also gets co-writing credits on several tracks on Kindred, Angelakos’ first time working with a major external songwriter for the band.
“We’d be writing for other artists and then keep it for Passion Pit,” Angelakos says. “Benny helped jump-start some songs, he’s a great friend and a mentor. He’s obviously a rather successful pop producer, but his heart’s in hip hop. He started doing Spank Rock at 16. He’s pigeonholed in terms of what people expect from him but he’s quite versatile. It’s amazing not only how much he can do but what he can bring out in other people, he’s helped me a lot in that respect.”
Their friendship also means Blanco’s presence didn’t mean someone wanted a Passion Pit crossover hit.
“Passion Pit is inherently a weird pop project, it’s always been a strange take on pop since day one. Nothing’s changed in terms of the general mission with Passion Pit, all that has changed is the character that Passion Pit is. That’s something I’ve been chronicling with each record. I’ve been doing this since 2007, it’s insane. I can’t believe I’ve gotten this far.”
Kindred (Sony) is out now.
