Boorloo/Perth-based indie pop artist Skyuka has won me over with her new single “Michael Cera.” I had high hopes for this one, given my own love of Michael Cera, but Skyuka exceeded them. Not only are the lyrics brilliant, it’s got this cool grungy pop vibe that I’m really digging.
“When I wrote ‘Michael Cera’ I was listening to a lot of Vampire Weekend and just really enjoying the playfulness of their earlier albums which influenced the writing process of this song,” Skyuka explained. “It felt refreshing to write something fun that people could clap and sing along to and have a laugh at, but still had a lot of heart. I was basically telling myself I didn’t want to see this person anymore because of their addictive tendencies…but at the same time I felt like a huge hypocrite as I was clearly addicted to them.”
Also, if you also love Michael Cera, this video is everything you hoped it might be. Short of having a cameo by the actual Michael Cera.
“Being a Michael Cera fan I knew I could have a lot of fun with this video. I found this Michael Cera mask on eBay and I think that was when I realised I was onto something. I wanted the video to be very narrative-driven and fun like the song,” said Skyuka. “I did a very detailed storyboard for this video and a lot of thought and attention to detail went into the props and settings as I really wanted to capture the 90s/early 2000s vibes that come to mind when I think of Cera. The first scene was actually shot in the lounge room at my parent’s house and I remember being up till 4am the day before the shoot decorating the entire wall with Michael Cera posters and rearranging all their furniture like a mad woman. I directed the video myself and Dylan Guy shot and edited the video.”
We’ll hear more from Skyuka when she releases her EP later this year.
Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Mark Francesca