Hibou

Hibou is the Seattle project of musician Peter Michel. He begins the act after joining West Coast dream pop group Craft Spells while still in high school, later spending almost eight months touring the United States and Europe with them as drummer. After that period, he develops depersonalization, a disorder that makes him feel as if he is observing himself from outside his body, and he uses Hibou as a solo outlet for hazy, melodic dream pop shaped by introspective themes and bedroom-pop textures.

Releases and development

Michel self-releases the EP Dunes in 2013, and it attracts the interest of Seattle indie label Barsuk Records. The label then issues his self-titled debut album, which he records at home and plays entirely himself. He later expands the project into a live band for touring, and Hibou opens shows for acts including Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Phantogram.

For the second album, Something Familiar in 2018, Michel works in a proper studio with producer Dylan Wall and records with his touring bandmates. A third album, Halve, follows in 2019 and continues his focus on melancholia and change.

Style

Hibou is associated with dream pop, shoegaze, indie, and indie pop, with music built around billowing melodies, shimmering guitar parts, and a subdued, reflective atmosphere.