Mica Levi
Dissonant strings and murky electronics that feel like a fever dream. Experimental pop and haunting scores for those who find beauty in the unsettling.
Dissonant strings and murky electronics that feel like a fever dream. Experimental pop and haunting scores for those who find beauty in the unsettling.
Mica Levi's music exists in the strange, fertile space between high-art composition and basement-show grit. Whether they are crafting jagged, lo-fi pop songs or sweeping, alien film scores, there is a consistent sense of physical texture. You can almost feel the bow scraping against the violin string or the hiss of a dying tape machine. It is music that prioritizes the 'sound' of an instrument over its traditional melody, often resulting in something that feels both ancient and futuristic.
What makes Levi truly distinctive is their mastery of tension. They use dissonance not just as a shock tactic, but as a primary emotional language. In their work with The Shapes, this manifests as wonky, detuned guitars and clattering rhythms. In their film work, it becomes a suffocating, atmospheric dread that lingers long after the music stops. There is a profound sense of space and silence, where every small noise carries immense weight.
Start with the 'Under the Skin' soundtrack for a masterclass in atmospheric horror, then pivot to 'Jewellery' to hear how that same restless energy translates into avant-pop. For a more recent, intimate experience, 'Blue Alibi' showcases their ability to blend singer-songwriter vulnerability with their signature experimental murk.
Micaela Rachel "Mica" Levi (born February 1987), also known by their stage name Micachu, is an English musician, composer, producer, singer, and songwriter. Levi studied composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, but left without a degree when their experimental pop band Micachu and the Shapes began to achieve early success. Their debut album Jewellery (2009) received enthusiastic reviews and was followed by several more studio albums, with the group changing their name to Good Sad Happy Bad in 2016. Levi has also released solo projects under both the Micachu moniker and their given name, and has frequently collaborated with other artists, including Kwes and Tirzah. In the early 2010s, Levi made their debut as a film composer, creating the widely praised score for Jonathan Glazer's film Under the Skin (2013). Levi received a European Film Award for Best Composer and a BAFTA Award for Best Film Music nomination, and won multiple other awards for this first movie composition. Levi then collaborated again with Glazer on his next film, the acclaimed The Zone of Interest (2023) (for which they won the Soundtrack Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival), and two short films. In 2017, Levi received their first Academy Awards nomination for Pablo Larraín's Jackie (2016). They also worked with director Steve McQueen on his Small Axe anthology film series.
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