the Microphones

The Microphones were an American band formed in 1996 and fronted by songwriter and producer Phil Elverum, active until 2022. Their sound blends lo-fi indie folk and experimental rock with intimate, often understated vocals, extensive tape and studio collage techniques, abrupt shifts between quiet acoustic passages and dense distortion, and lyrical concerns with nature, memory, and mortality. The project is frequently associated with home recording, unconventional song structures, and a markedly personal, atmospheric approach to composition.