From The Strait

Relatively little is known about Birthday Squirrel front man Mike Frolick, apart from the fact that he is long rumoured to have gone mad deep in the Canadian wilderness after scrambling up a white pine and perching himself there for 27 days whilst eating only bark, insects and Cajun-Lime flavoured beef jerky. It’s also been suggested that the name, Birthday Squirrel, revealed itself to him in the form of a mischievous red squirrel whispering the first ever BS lyrics into his mosquito-ravaged ear. These tales are certainly tall, but what is known for certain is this: Mike resides in Scarborough, Ontario. He records music in a steel, 700-pound, 1969 hearing-test booth in his bedroom. He enjoys a good grilled cheese sandwich and has watched all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls. We’re talking multiple times. Oh, and he sometimes gets sad and has to write music.

 Points of Mild Interest:
– Mike grew up in Oriilia, Ontario — also home to Gordon Lightfoot
– He started playing guitar and writing songs in his early 20s
– He’s a later bloomer when it comes to pretty much everything
– He records in his bedroom where he also, sometimes sleeps
– He has a fake twin brother named ‘Mick’
– Mick was always the favourite, leading to no small amount of resentment

ABOUT THE ALBUM: Higher, Warmer – released on December 1st, 2025

“At the time I started writing the album, I had just come out of a pretty bad period where I wasn’t sleeping and was caught in a terrible anxiety cycle. A combination of things (including meds, full disclosure) had started to make me feel much better. I started to recognize myself again and became hyper aware of how good making music made me feel. After writing ‘Better Than I Was,’ I felt like I was onto something and the album just took off from there. I didn’t have a particular concept — I just wanted to make a good record. I’ve struggled with anxiety my entire life — something it took me forever to really acknowledge — and like a lot of people, I had pushed so many feelings down so far, I just had no idea what was at the root of it all. To me, this album is about unearthing hidden monsters and trying to be as honest as possible. There’s a line in the BTIW that goes, “I’m trying hard to make love to bad habits.” That’s basically me, inviting the monsters in and giving them a hug.

The title is nicked from one of the settings on a mastering plugin I was playing around with at the time. I think the actual setting was actually called ‘High/Warmer’ which sounded to me like how I was feeling, so I stole it.

I already had a lot of songs in the bank but the process for the album ended up taking longer than expected because I kept writing new material that I felt just had to be included…and on and on it went. I almost never sit down specifically to write. Usually, I’ll pick up the guitar just to play…and a song will present itself. Chords first, then the lyrics and melody. Sometimes I’ll finish the song fully before recording…other times I’ll just start recording and kind of flesh it out it as I go along.

I record at home. All hours. There’s a simple set-up in my bedroom that includes my prized possession: A 1960s hearing-test booth I bought online a couple years ago. It’s one of the best purchases I’ve ever made and it allows me to belt out vocals and try stupid ideas without the fear of pissing off my condo neighbours.

I usually play everything except drums and then twiddle the knobs til it makes my ears happy.”

– Mike Frolick, Birthday Squirrel

Credits:
Producer: Mike Frolick
Studio: Hotbox Studios (My Bedroom)
Mixing:
– Mike Frolick (Holding You, Home About)
– Tim Vesely (Better Than I Was, Low Life, Operation Hazy Jane)
– Mickey Ellsworth (Belts, Cowboys on the Weekend, Did Ya Ever, Marc Maron, Methylene Blue, Parts Boutique, 2 Chords)
Mastering:
– Mickey Ellsworth
Guest Vocalist:
– Erika Werry (2 Chords)

Stream Higher, Warmer On Your Preferred Platform After December 1st

For any more information on the artist, email pr@fromthestrait.com

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