Album review: Mike D will release Thank You this month

On August 24, Michael “Mike D” Diamond will release his first official solo album, and the first new music—aside from a guest appearance—from a member of the Beastie Boys since the legendary trio’s 2011 release Hot Sauce Comittee Part 2. It’s been 15 years since the group met its untimely end.  The untimely passing of Adam “MCA” Yauch forced the remaining two members into a seemingly permanent musical hiatus.

Over the years, fans of the group were given frequent reminders of their impact along with hints of a return to the spotlight, in some form or fashion.  The early 2010’s saw the release of deluxe editions of their discography, which included remixes and previously unreleased material. In 2018, they released a memoir that incorporated not only narration, but recipes, rare photos, handwritten notes, comic entries, and more. Diamond and fellow Beastie Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz hosted a live retelling of the group’s story was recorded in front of a live audience, and released on Apple+ in April of 2020, directed by the groups longtime collaborator, Spike Jonze.

From July 15, 2016 to November 17, 2022, Diamond hosted a podcast titled Mike D’s Echo Chamber which streamed via Apple Music. The show incorporated music recommendations from various celebrity guests; Mike D “echoing” said musical entries with comparable picks of his own, and a deep-dive commentary with casual banter between Diamond and his respective guests. It was a podcast gem that expanded upon musical insights. The show was highly entertaining.

Hints of unreleased Beastie Boys material seeing official release floated over the years, keeping fans hopeful. Now, we have the closest thing to it, a solo project consisting of all-new music.
But don’t expect a continuation of the Beastie musical stylings. In early May, “Switch Up,” the first single release from Mike D’s the upcoming LP, Thank You, saw its release, and it was immediately obvious that the music aficionado’s vast appreciation and genre exploration play a significant role in his latest work.

Since then, three additional tracks from the upcoming 13-track album, “What We Got,” “True Colors,” and “Crypto” have hit streaming services, each of which continue in simialr trajectory to the LP’s premeire single.  The currently-released tracks resemble 90’s hypno-electronic, with 80’s sampling, and elements of hip-hop, and dance music. It’s a fresh take on vintage sound, and with a Beastie touch.

In addition to the release of the four singles four singles, Diamond has taken the summer to cross the pond for live performances, adding a circuit of stateside performances before then (August 30-November 5).  Although  current-listed tour dates are limited in location, we can hope the hip-hop, punk rock, all-around musical legend will add a few stops to his tour to promote the release of Thank You. Fans would surely appreciate it.

Thank You Tracklist:

Switch Up

What We Got

True Colors

That’s Right

Secrets Pt.I

Secrets Pt.II

I Don’t Care

Make It Stop

Crypto

Here We Are

Back To Start

It’s Time

Thank You

Featured photo courtesy of Mike D

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