Local musician and IU graduate Michael Bruner released his newest song, “yeah yeah,” on June 15.
“You're catching feelings for someone and you're beginning to realize that you both have this compatibility, this connection,” Bruner said. “It's exciting, you're beginning to wonder and fantasize about each other. And it's just a song about lust.”
Bruner said he didn’t have any plan of what the song would sound like and just wrote what felt natural to say.
He said he made a commitment to work on music and new songs every morning. "Yeah yeah" was a result of Bruner having the melody from "Camptown Races" by Stephen C. Foster stuck in his head, he said. He layered his own ideas over the melody before removing the original melody entirely.
Bruner first released music in 2015 for a high school senior project. He released two songs a couple years later, but he said he didn’t feel like those songs represented himself and took them down.
He said those songs were experiments and “yeah yeah” is his comeback.
Frankie Figueroa, photographer for the album cover art, had Bruner pose behind two red sheets. Bruner said he associates the song with the color red.
“The fabric also plays into the thematic content of the song because I think it's very much inspired by romance and moments in the bedroom with someone that you're close with,” Bruner said.
IU graduate Matthew Teden has known Bruner in and out of the recording studio for a year.
“Michael carries the happiest, bouncy energy which I feel shows in his pocketed drum grooves and playful vocal harmonies,” Teden said.
Teden said Bruner has the ability to create a feeling through his music. By emotional storytelling, Teden said Bruner embraces imperfections in his music and creates a cohesive aesthetic.
“I love how quickly the song gets into the meat of the storytelling,” he said. “The start of the song doesn’t feel abrupt, but it doesn’t waste a single second of unnecessary time.”
Elias McDermott Sipe, local rapper, has been a friend of Bruner for seven years. Sipe said Bruner never fails to write well structured verses.
“I'm super excited and proud of Michael because I feel like he's kind of rebranded his own artistry,” Sipe said. “He's released music in the past, but with this song, it's kind of like a new era for Michael.”
With pop influences like Joji and Charlie Puth for Bruner’s new music, Sipe said he is excited for Bruner’s rebrand.
“He's always been an artist,” Sipe said. “But now I think it's time for him to explode.”
