{"product_id":"mac-mccaughan-the-sound-of-yourself","title":"Mac McCaughan - The Sound of Yourself","description":"\u003cp\u003eThroughout his musical career fronting \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/superchunk\"\u003eSuperchunk\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/portastatic\"\u003ePortastatic\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMac McCaughan \u003c\/strong\u003ehas channeled more than his share of angst and tumult into a microphone, resulting in straight-up undeniable rock anthems. So how can a voice so familiar to others still seem foreign to its owner? On \u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Yourself\u003c\/i\u003e, McCaughan’s second record released under his own name, he explores that question fully, shooting his voice through a prism and refracting it across these songs in new and rewarding ways. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn January 2021, McCaughan found himself at his home studio in Chapel Hill staring down a clean slate after wrapping up a film score and several other music projects. This setting—a distant light at the end of a figurative tunnel, and a literal room full of instruments—was integral to \u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Yourself\u003c\/i\u003e. His thought process was simple: “Each day is blurring into the next, so what are we doing today? How can I disrupt this? I think what resulted was a theme of subdued... ‘joy’ is the wrong word, but it’s at least comforting if not propulsive to have something open-ended to work on every day without any kind of structure or deadline or rules.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor a record titled \u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Yourself\u003c\/i\u003e, the irony in having many contributions from friends near and far is not lost on McCaughan: “I’m constantly inspired by the work of my peers. I feel lucky to be able to collaborate with them despite the distances between us. Sending off a song into the ether and having it returned greatly improved and in often surprising and moving ways was one of the most satisfying aspects of making this record.” Michael Benjamin Lerner (\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/telekinesis\"\u003eTelekinesis\u003c\/a\u003e) and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/annie-hayden\"\u003eAnnie Hayden\u003c\/a\u003e (\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/spent\"\u003eSpent\u003c\/a\u003e) provide shimmering vocal harmonies on “I Hear a Radio.” Sabrina Ellis (\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/a-giant-dog\"\u003eA Giant Dog\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/sweet-spirit\"\u003eSweet Spirit\u003c\/a\u003e) sings on “Sleep Donor” and Mackenzie Scott of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/torres\"\u003eTORRES\u003c\/a\u003e lends her voice to “Burn a Fax,” a song that also features three moody saxophone tracks that Matt Douglas of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-mountain-goats\"\u003ethe Mountain Goats\u003c\/a\u003e offered McCaughan, layered on top of one another. Mary Lattimore introduces and concludes \u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Yourself\u003c\/i\u003e with her singular harp playing. The bittersweet single “Dawn Bends” is bolstered not only by Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster but the esteemed trio of Yo La Tengo on bass, organ, guitar, and vocals.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"Peak Vinyl (Pink \u0026 Orange Swirl)","offer_id":52739244294455,"sku":"MRG783lp-C1","price":22.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739244327223,"sku":"MRG783LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739244359991,"sku":"MRG783CD","price":13.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739244392759,"sku":"MRG783digital","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/fe2f4d5be7730a10d0e17b63632b8deb69670e93_1a85d86a0c5e906142143b9c8bde6824603fd872_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785382081","url":"https:\/\/mergerecords.com\/products\/mac-mccaughan-the-sound-of-yourself","provider":"Merge Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}