Miya Folick Unveils “Cockroach”; New Album ‘Roach’ Out May 26

Vocalist, songwriter and producer Miya Folick unveils a new, self-produced song today, “Cockroach”—listen here and watch the visualizer by Noah Kentis here. The new track is taken from Folick’s forthcoming album, Roach, slated for release on May 26 via Nettwerk—pre-order/pre-save it here.

“I love this song and I am addicted to it,” Folick says. “I wrote the melody and lyrics for ‘Cockroach’ driving home from a friend’s house. It was May 2021, and I was feeling like I had spent the last couple years continuously dragging myself back up onto my feet after getting knocked around by life and circumstances out of my control (I think others may be able to relate). I got home and quickly made a demo of the melody with the keyboard parts and the guitar line. I thought it would be an interesting interlude or intro for the record, but it became something so much more powerful. I asked Sam KS to play some simple drums on it and he ended up playing this in one take, transforming the song into something that feels anthemic in its own odd way.”

Folick’s latest release follows previously shared tracks, “So Clear,” which Stereogum praised as “an effervescent pop tune built around a percolating synth line, with Folick exulting in a moment of epiphany,” “Mommy,” lauded by Uproxx as a “haunting ballad and “Get Out Of My House,” which was featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered and can be heard in the film Cora Bora starring Meg Stalter (“Hacks”), which features score and original music by Folick and recently premiered at the SXSW Film Festival.

Additionally, Folick will host a Roach album release event at The Short Stop in Los Angeles on May 23, with further details to be announced soon. Folick will also play a special sold-out headline show to celebrate the album release at Moroccan Lounge on May 25 and will join The Head and the Heart/Father John Misty on a North American tour later this year, following recently wrapped dates with Dermot Kennedy and Aly & AJ — see full routing below and get tickets here.

Moreover, Folick recently launched her new Roach webstore, which includes a vinyl pre-order and several new merch items—see here.

With earworm melodies, heart-wrenching poetry, eclectic production and anchored by Folick’s once-in-a-lifetime voice, Roach is a document of where Folick is now and what it took to get there, all the head-spinning highs and soul-crushing lows included. Lyrically, the album prioritizes an honest and simple approach—following the release of her 2018 debut album, Premonitions, Folick got the sense that the only way forward was to dig beneath the dense poetry she used to hide behind and put her most honest foot forward, no matter how uncomfortable that process may be. Not only does Roach accomplish this, but it goes a step beyond too, with Folick learning to wear the hardship she has endured like a badge of honor. “It’s an album about trying to get to the core of what life really is,” she explains.

With radical honesty as the guiding approach, Folick enlisted a team of collaborators who she trusted to expose the grittier side of her artistry, including Gabe Wax (War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes), Mike Malchicoff (King Princess, Bo Burnham), Max Hershenow (MS MR) and a team of some of LA’s best players. The result is an album that, in classic Folick style, straddles a line between pop and something more experimental and sounds as brutally direct and intimate as the subject matter at hand.

Folick’s 2007 EP was released last year to critical acclaim from Pitchfork, NPR, Our Culture, Alt Press and more and features singles, “Bad Thing,” co-written by Folick, Mitski and Andrew Wells, “Nothing To See,” “Ordinary” and “Oh God,” her first new music in three years. After the release, Folick embarked on a headlining North American and UK/EU tour, followed by an extensive tour across the UK/EU with Tove Lo.

Raised in Santa Ana, CA and now living in Los Angeles, Folick first attracted acclaim with two EPs, 2015’s Strange Darling and 2017’s Give It To Me EP. Folick’s 2018 Terrible Records/Interscope debut album Premonitions drew critical praise from NPR, GQ, Pitchfork, The FADER and many more; landed her a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR and saw her sell out headline shows and play festivals the world over.

MIYA FOLICK LIVE
May 12—Salt Lake City, UT—Kilby Block Party
May 25—Los Angeles, CA—Moroccan Lounge
June 12—London, UK—MOTH Club
June 15—Berlin, DE—Kantine at Berghain
August 4—Salt Lake City, UT—Venue TBD‡§
August 5—Missoula, MT—Big Sky Brewing Company‡§
August 6—Spokane, WA—Pavilion at Riverfront‡§
August 8—Vancouver, BC—PNE Amphitheater‡§
August 9—Bend, OR—Hayden Homes Amphitheater‡§
August 12—Las Vegas, NV—Virgin Hotels Las Vegas – The Theater‡
August 13—Santa Barbara, CA—Santa Barbara Bowl‡§
August 15—Vail, CO—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater‡§
August 16—Vail, CO—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater‡§
August 18—Lincoln, NE—Pinewood Bowl Amphitheater‡§
August 19—Tulsa, OK—Tulsa Theater‡§
August 20—Columbia, MO—9th Street Summerfest‡§
August 21—Madison, WI—The Sylvee‡§
August 22—Madison, WI—The Sylvee‡§
September 2-3—Napa, CA—Down in the Valley
September 24—Las Vegas, NV—Life Is Beautiful
‡ with The Head and the Heart
§ with Father John Misty