The last time I spoke with Michael Angelakos, the Passion Pit brainchild was in the throes of a well-publicized personal struggle. For years, the singer had been battling bipolar disorder and depression. But in 2012, when the band was forced to cancel a string of shows as a result of Angelakos having a particularly challenging episode, he finally made his ailment public knowledge.
“People don’t understand that it’s not just debilitating; it’s all-encompassing,” he said in 2012 of his mental illness, which at times caused his entire body to lock up. “It’s something you have to work on your entire life.”
On a recent evening, however, sitting casually backstage at Thalia Hall on Chicago’s South Side, his legs crossed ever-so-slightly as if he were prepping for afternoon tea, DJ equipment by his side, Angelakos appears bright-eyed and optimistic. He’s aware his life remains an ever-challenging journey, but it’s one he feels not only prepared for but also excited to navigate.
“This is the most fun I’ve had onstage since 2008 or 2009,” the 27-year-old says of Passion Pit’s current nationwide tour behind their recently-released third album, Kindred.
Perhaps reflecting Angelakos’ more positive outlook on life, the new Passion Pit LP is undoubtedly the band’s most positive, forward-looking one yet — as well as its most concise. As has been customary throughout the band’s previous albums, dark motifs still simmer beneath the shiny electropop surface. But as the singer said during a tempered, honest conversation prior to his band taking the stage, “Now I’m at a point in my life where all I want to do is make things better. I’m so tired of this whole thing of waiting for it to get better because it’s not going unless I make a concerted effort.”
Cuepoint: I see you have a controller next to you for your DJ gig later tonight. How does DJing fit into your arc as a musician?
Michael Angelakos: What I think it is for me more than other people is a way to socialize. Because I don’t really socialize a lot. Especially on tour outside of the world we build. So it’s kind of a really awesome way to go out and have fun and do something work-related. But it’s not really work-related, it’s more fun.
At this point, does performing as Passion Pit feel like work?
It’s less the repetition of it and more the fact that every day we work on the set. It’s something that we’re constantly doing. Last night we played songs for the second time ever. And in New York we played a song that we had never played in the history of Passion Pit; we had only rehearsed it a few times.
One of the songs off Kindred?
No. It was off [Passion Pit’s 2008 debut EP] Chunk of Change. It was the song “Cuddle Fuddle.” Everyone’s always asked for that and we’ve never played it. The guys had worked on it a little bit. I was like “Alright, let’s work out a version of it.” And so we just went for it. But that’s just the kind of band this is, so that makes it less work-y to me. But still, it’s inherently a lot of work: three hours a day of just being onstage — not just soundchecking but actually rehearsing — and then playing a show and doing the whole promo thing. But I don’t do as much promo anymore.
I noticed that. You’ve done very few interviews around Kindred.
I’ve talked to the people I work with and we all just agreed that with this record, where I’m at in my life mentally and physically, I just want to talk to people that I want to talk to and that are actually interested in music or just care in general. I don’t have to do tons of stuff. I’ve done a lot of work. I’ve worked very hard for like seven or eight years now, which is crazy. It’s visible that there’s less press around the band. I made a concerted effort to cut a lot of it out because I just couldn’t do it anymore.
You’ve long mentioned how you view Passion Pit as a character you inhabit.
Passion Pit has never felt like “This is me.” It’s always felt like I’m doing these specific things to my voice and I’m producing this specific type of music because I want to achieve this particular thing. And this is not what I would normally do from my gut. It’s not something that was super natural. It was designed. So inherently it felt like it would be false then to call the project “Michael Angelakos.” This is a band. This is Passion Pit — whatever the hell that is. It’s not a good band name [laughs]. I remember at the time being like, “Whatever. Let’s just name it something so we can play shows.”
Do you have to get into character then or inhabit a certain mindset to become Passion Pit?
Yes. Oh my God, yeah. There’s an amazing amount of energy that’s required to do anything Passion Pit-related. You have to become a kid. And if you’re in this adult mode and you’re hanging out with your wife every night and going out to restaurants you have to snap out of that, out of real life, and go into this mode where you’re a kid again. It drives my wife crazy and all my friends crazy. I’ve had to quarantine myself.
So your wife wants to keep your Passion Pit life separate from your personal?
Yes. Now more than ever. I think it’s because I’m getting older and the Passion Pit character gets younger each year. So it’s definitely the most obvious it’s ever been from her where it’s like, “You go do your own thing.”
You have certainly been through a lot since Passion Pit broke out seven years ago. How do you feel when you reflect on the time around Chunk of Change or even circa your 2009 full-length debut, Manners?
God, I mean, Manners was so confusing because I was in the middle of these different record deals and so there was the business side that was coming up, and I was no longer a student anymore. So that was confusing. I didn’t know what I was doing with my life. I was recording a record but I didn’t know where it would lead. I was single and was no longer with my now ex-girlfriend. Everything was totally in the air. I think that’s why that record makes a lot of sense to me now: I’m always in limbo. All the records seem very pretty to me, but I also find them to be really, really sad. They bring up memories now that I didn’t have before. But I was just trying. I was just trying to do something. They were valiant efforts to do something beautiful.
Each of your records seems to reflect your mental state at the time. 2012’s Gossamer, for example, while still upbeat and poppy, clearly emerged from a dark period in your life. How do you view that album in hindsight?
You have to wring out the beauty. It’s there. You just to have find that. I like that the records sound different to you, because some people say it’s all been the same record. I don’t hear that. I emphasize certain sonic qualities that can’t change. So, what, I’m supposed to change the thing that makes Passion Pit Passion Pit? It’s so confusing. If you’re not onboard by now, then I dunno. I used to care so much about criticism because that was what I was studying in school. It’s just a very confusing world. It’s so political. But I’ve definitely learned to like what I do more and not take everyone’s opinion so seriously. It doesn’t have to be that big of a deal.
The last time we spoke you had just emerged from a very tough personal time, battling bipolar disorder in the public sphere. Although I’d venture to say people seemed to place too large of an emphasis on it.
I’ll always answer a question about it if someone asks me. I’ll never say I don’t want to talk about it. Because most people honestly are just curious. And most people are not open about it so if we’re going to change things, if we’re going to see a shift in how we view mental health, you’ve got to make it as simple and flat as possible for people. I can’t be exasperated in that sense — of course, it’s kind of annoying, but it’s just as annoying as being asked anything else multiple times. Really it’s just a part of me. It’s just a part of what people know about me. People are like, “Oh, it’s the bipolar dude.” I mean, that is incredibly condescending in a certain way and reductive, but at the same time, we live in a headline culture and that’s just the way it’s gonna be. To be honest with you, there are a lot worse things I could be associated with. I’m happy to keep talking about mental health so long as I’m helping. And I do a lot of work with charities, so if that’s going to continue people will ask me questions.
Kindred seems to be the most positive Passion Pit album to date.
The album is a reflection of when someone is just trying really hard to be positive… because that’s really the only thing you can do. Every other record has focused on me; it’s always focused on me looking at things or observing things and showing things to the listener and then that’s it. Kind of just making observations. Or saying I’m sorry and apologizing without any action afterwards. That was where I was: I was so depleted of energy that all I could do was say I’m sorry and sit there. And now I’m at a point in my life where all I want to do is make things better. Action over talking is essentially the M.O. at this point. I’m so tired of this whole thing of “waiting for it to get better” because it’s not going unless I make a concerted effort. So that’s really what the record is about in general. That’s really what’s going on. Because there are all these different stories and issues I’m dealing with, but the bottom line is I’m trying. I’m trying something.
How has it been feeling to perform these new, more forward-looking tracks?
It’s the most fun I’ve had onstage since 2008 or 2009. I think it’s a mixture of the fact I’m feeling better and that I wanted to write songs that were about more present-day activity and that were true and honest. It’s funny because my wife and I were just talking about this: I didn’t really talk to anyone when I was making the record. I was living with my wife, but we didn’t really talk much. I’d just be at the studio for like 14 hours a day. But I was talking to her through the music.
And now you’re already looking to the next project?
Someone asked me, “Is it hard to write songs?” I was like, “No. The hardest part is putting out the song.” And then immediately saying, “Oh, well I can write a better song.” It was really hard for me to accept compliments for a really long time because I was just like, “Well, that’s not really an accurate reflection of where I’m at.” But at the same time, you change so much and you go back and forth. But the bottom line is, I’m at a place now in my life where I can’t not be writing. I’m always working. I’m always doing some type of work, and I always feel like at some point, I’m going to do something better or I’m going to do something way worse. But no matter what, so long as I just keep making things, there’s going to be a lot of good that comes out of it.
You seem to be in an overall good place right now.
For a long time, when I was the most depressive, I was not working actively at creating a schedule. I’ve really been hard on myself and making sure I have a schedule and am active. Because the more I make the happier I am. Say I’m not happy with the record: well then I have to be working on a new one because then that’s the only way to deal with it. I’m already working on new songs. I don’t know if they’re for Passion Pit or if they’re for someone else. I dunno. Bottom line is, there’s always room for improvement. That’s what’s keeping us going, right? If you’re content, you’re down. I always get freaked out by people who are super-stoked when it comes to their work. I know a bunch of people who are significantly weird in the sense that they are so fulfilled. I’m happy that they’re so content, but I can’t even imagine what that would be like. That would be the end. It wouldn’t work for me.
