In a deeply divisive time to be an American, particularly an American minority, there is need to find your tribe, to stand in solidarity, to critique and fight structures of oppression with every ounce of self. But in the process of attaining liberation, there is reflection and doubt. There is private and public mourning, depression, and crippling immobility when tasked to defend one’s humanity.
Maintain (out February 22nd on No Trend Records) was written in that divide. West side Chicagoan Mykele Deville spent a year and a half writing seven songs he felt encapsulated not only the absurdity of the political moment we find ourselves in and the triumphs/failings of the black American experiment, but also the resiliency it takes to exist and self examine within those confines. Maintain was written out of a necessity to heal and as a personal vow by Mykele to use his own music to say as much as he can to help heal whomever might be listening.
The album’s lead single, “Type Love,” imagines a world where we are taught to fall in love with ourselves before we fall in love with others; a smooth ode to self-love championing the ritual and work it takes to check in and be proud of what you may find. The song’s stunning video was created by Mckenzie Chinn (a member of the Growing Concerns Poetry Collective along with Mykele) and co-directed by Greg Dixon.
“I wanted to highlight the song’s idea of honoring self as well as the struggle of understanding self as a thing worthy of one’s own love,” says Chinn. “By using imagery and improvised choreography outside of a traditional narrative, we were able to create a dynamic and expressionistic portrait of black, masculine tenderness and softness – a mode in which black men are not often portrayed, but which is critical to dismantling toxic masculinity and advancing mental wellness for black men.”
For those in the Chicagoland area, Deville will celebrate Maintain with a release show at Lincoln Hall on March 3rd. Tickets go on-sale this Friday.
Maintain Tracklist:
01. Whispers
02. Free Soul
03. Type Love (feat. Daryn Alexus)
04. Kalief
05. You’re Enough
06. Loosies + Poem For Us (feat. McKenzie Chinn)
07. Maintain
Pre-order Maintain — https://notrendrecords.com/mykele-deville/
Photo credit: Zakkiyyah Najeebah
