It all started with a gifted cake—and a misspelling.

A small yet thoughtful gesture from family after Yawn Mower released their album To Each Their Own Coat. But instead of “congrats,” the icing read “congarts.” It was the kind of mistake most people would get mad over and soon try to forget, but Mike Chick didn’t. “I immediately knew it was going to be the next LP,” he said. “I wasn’t even finished with More Thrills, Less Hills, but I knew ‘congarts’ would be something at some point.” What began as a humorous family moment turned into a musical inspiration, one Chick describes as “a little present from the universe.”

Chick released his latest LP, Congarts, on April 17, 2026. The 11-track record blends indie rock, lo-fi experimentation, and introspective songwriting, marking a noticeable shift from his previous work. “[People close to me can see] that it is a step in a different direction from the last one I put out,” Chick explained.

“I recorded 95% of this record myself,” he said. “What made this release different was being able to write and record so much of it on my own. It has been very rewarding to go through that, and also frustrating when you screw things up, but you are constantly learning from this process of trying to record things on your own, which I have liked a lot.”

This independence marks a shift from Chick’s work with his main project, Yawn Mower. The five-piece band has been releasing music for over a decade, serving as a primary creative outlet for much of his career. With Congarts, however, Chick leans more fully into his own instincts.

Still, the line between solo work and band material isn’t always clearly defined. “I’ll throw a lot of ideas past the group, and sometimes they won’t think it matches the vibe, so I just take it back with me,” he said. “There are some that I write, and I know aren’t Yawn Mower tracks at all, so I don’t even recommend them.”

At the same time, that process can work in reverse. “There are times I’ll write full demos on my own and think, ‘This would be so cool with the full band,’ and I’ll bring it to Yawn Mower,” he added. “There’s no hard and fast rule to it.”

On Congarts, Chick also expands his solo work through collaboration. Martin Howth appears on vocals across the record, while Bob Pailos of Neon Rayon contributes drums to “There’s A Spider,” and Nicole Scorsone adds violin and viola to “King of Cool.” The album was then mixed by Yawn Mower’s Rudy Meier, bringing the project full circle.

Those contributions come into focus across the record’s standout tracks, each offering a different glimpse into Chick’s range as a musician.

“‘Atomic Bomb’ is one of my favorites,” Chick said. “It’s just really fun—I like the beat, I like the lyrics. It’s a good representation of the album as a whole. If you like this song, you will like the rest of the record.”

The 10th track, “King of Cool,” demonstrates a slower song that Chick admits he wrote in three minutes after a Yawn Mower band practice. “[Songs like that] are always cool to put next to songs that you have maybe been working on for 8 years or so,” he said. 

The LP is also paired with three music videos, all directed by Chick, featuring footage of different places, people, and attractions from Chick’s point of view. “Some of the scenes in the videos I make are me just going out with a video camera and recording life unfolding in front of me. It could be someone standing outside a supermarket, smoking a cigarette, not thinking about anything, but to me, that is great; this is normal stuff that happens all around you, and making it more important than that.”

With the release of Congarts, Chick now plans to return to performing with Yawn Mower and himself. Chick will be performing at Low Dive in Asbury Park on May 15, 2026, along with New Antics and Tide Bends. 

Additionally, he will be returning with Yawn Mower on their Spring 2026 Northeast tour. While he’ll be back to sharing the stage, Congarts will still have a presence offstage. “For tour, I built this boat I put at the merch booth that has the Yawn Mower stuff plus all the solo stuff [such as CDs] from other members as well,” he said.

With another solo LP in the books, Chick shows no signs of slowing down, continuing to embrace growth, experimentation, and independence. “The subject matters, the lyrics, and the progression of the music, all of this is a good representation of where I am at right now.”

Featured image taken by Melissa McLaughlin | Interviewed on March 30, 2026