Michael Whittle shares new single 'Chokehold'

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and composer Michael Whittle released a new single, "Chokehold," premiering August 24 through Under the Radar. It is the second single from Whittle's upcoming debut full-length album, Like Shadows Do, due out next year via No Ghost Records and tracked on the release calendar.

Whittle has built his career mainly as a composer, scoring feature films and advertising campaigns rather than releasing music under his own name. "Chokehold" follows "Lie to Me So I Will Be Alright," released last month, as Whittle steps out from behind-the-scenes work into indie songwriting under his own voice, drawing on 1990s indie rock, post-punk and slacker rock influences.

The song leans into hissing, textured production and Whittle's own guitar work, moving between a steady electric pulse and fingerpicked passages, while his vocals stay breathy and restrained rather than reaching for rock bombast. The lyrics describe a dangerous game some teenagers play of choking each other to the point of passing out, something Whittle said he witnessed during hotel stays for sports tournaments as a kid. "It was stupid and dangerous," he said. "The only way some of us could feel alive was to get close to death."

Whittle recorded Like Shadows Do himself, self-producing the album in collaboration with drummer Madi Vogt, who has also played with Finneas, Kim Gordon and Julien Baker. No release date beyond "next year" has been announced for the full album.