Michael Cera Quietly Releases Folky Solo Album

Michael Cera
Photo Credit: Creative Commons / Eva Rinaldi

Any true Michael Cera fan knows the actor also has musical skills ”“ from adding backing vocals and guitar to Weezer’s Hurley to playing live bass for indie-rock supergroup Mister Heavenly to strumming nerdily in this adorable scene from Juno. But now Cera’s taken a bigger step into the music world with a solo album, true that, which he quietly posted last week on Bandcamp.

Cera’s friend and collaborator Jonah Hill gave the album a promotional push on Tuesday night, tweeting the link and writing, “My great friend Michael Cera not only is a brilliant actor, he also makes great music.”

The 18-track true that is an eclectic, lo-fi album filled mainly with vignette-like instrumentals ”“ blending acoustic guitars with pianos, synths and left-field samples. Highlights include the folky instrumental “Too Much,” the dreamy synth mantra “2048” and an intimate cover of Blaze Foley’s “Clay Pigeons” (the latter featuring some charming vocal harmonies). The album costs $7 and includes three bonus tracks upon purchase.

Based on the “home recording” tag and the silly profile picture, it’s safe to assume true that wasn’t recorded in a fancy studio ”“ but that doesn’t tarnish the album’s homespun charm. Preview the sprawling LP below.

In one of his most recent music-related ventures, Cera made a hilarious cameo appearance in Arcade Fire’s trippy NBC concert special Here Comes the Night Time, which showcased tracks from 2013’s Reflektor. Cera’s next major film role will be opposite John C. Reilly in the Rick Alverson-directed 2015 comedy Entertainment.