Live & IRL: MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

As the name would perhaps suggest, the energy in the room at a Make Yourself at Home (MYSAH) show is very much a warm, welcoming family environment. I especially love to see them play at Drkmttr, sort of on the home turf – so to speak.

MYSAH began as a studio project, culminating in his self-titled LP (2021) which was recorded primarily over quarantine. Driving, mid-tempo songs evoke tender, yet distorted spaces. Like his influences, Billy mixes light and dark imagery, coupled with lots of references to the music of life – particularly in songs like “Diving Bell.” Billy references listening “to the floorboards, that sing” to him, and a “lamp [that] hums a melody to the table.”

Campbell is always reaching for interesting couplings of imagery, while using modernist language. In the song, “Drift,” he pairs “I am a severed head // You’re a catholic kid,” a juxtaposition to submerge the reader into the anecdote, saying a lot with very little.

Sensory, droning sonic imagery and catchy rhyme scheming accentuate Campbell’s vocal range, between gentler and more powerful sections.

As the band continues to play together, we have heard some unreleased content in a live setting & the promise of more music to come!

Campbell is the sole writer for MYSAH, so for the live sets he is joined by Trevor Nikrant (guitar), Parker Van Der Hyde (bass) & Luca Kupper (drums). The group does a great job in translating the recordings into a live setting. At an intimate venue such as Drkmttr or the Basement, the grungy aesthetics of the sound fit right in.

Leave a comment