Each Measure Review: Michellar

FEATURE

Michellar is a name you should probably know by now.

Since she came out of her forty-year songwriting hiatus, the San Francisco-based visual artist and musician seems to have found her calling as a passionate creative with a true Renaissance suite of talents. Her resume includes an acceptance to the deYoung Museum Open Call Exhibition and the impressive feat of having released 22 singles in nine months.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have listened to several of her releases, and I’m constantly amazedby her versatility as an artist.  She seems to defy the constraints of genre at every turn, and each time she puts out a new track, it’s impossible to predict which of her artistic personalities it will showcase most prominently. Her extensive musical range includes shades of rock, electropop, psychedelia, and Latin influences. Yet she herself does not belong to any one of these genres. She is all of them and more. She is Michellar.

Despite the diversity of her catalogue, there are a few things all of her songs have in common: each one is a timeless, poignant, and wholly authentic exploration of human relationships. “We Both Can Fall,” is no exception, and it makes a perfect starting point for anyone who isn’t as familiar with her work as they should be.

With a release date of October 24th, 2025, “We Both Can Fall” is the latest installment in Michellar’s repertoire. All of her songs are labors of love, but this one was also an international effort. “We Both Can Fall” was recorded in Michellar’s home city of San Francisco, California, but the mastering was done in UK, making the track a global collaboration.

In writing “We Both Can Fall,” Michellar took inspiration from the country music scene of the past few decades, naming Kelly Clarkson in particular. Country and Americana are genres shehas not previously explored, but “We Both Can Fall” makes a triumphant first attempt. She furnishes her musical landscape with steel guitars and gentle acoustic textures, bringing her soft, lilting melody to vibrant life.

The vocals were performed by Gracie Lou, whose voice embodies the perfect amount ofSouthern twang and homespun charm to bring out the best in Michellar’s country composition.Gracie Lou isn’t just a competent vocalist. She’s a powerful one. Plenty of singers can hit all the right notes, but few can offer the silky-smooth command of voice quality that Gracie Lou delivers.

Many of Michellar’s previous tracks – notably “Let’s Go Move Around,” “Never Say Sorry”, and “Dreaming” – reveal her penchant for crafting bouncy, fast-paced, and danceable melodies. Yet on “We Both Can Fall,” she takes the opportunity to prove that she can handle slow, meandering ballads with an equal amount of skill. “We Both Can Fall” takes its time to unfold, and Gracie Lou lets every note she sings linger in the air, giving us a chance to really live in the music and digest it piece by piece.

When it comes to Michellar’s work, a moment to pause and reflect is essential. That’s because at her heart, she’s a philosopher as well as an artist. Her lyrics are full of the wisdom and insight that only comes from a life spent in introspection, and there’s a level of nuance to her compositions that belies their catchy, accessible melodies.

“We Both Can Fall,” for example, is not your typical love song, but it is a song about love – real, honest love and all the ups and downs that it entails. Michellar isn’t interested in the kind of idealized, happily-ever-after love that only happens in fairytales. She’s not afraid to show the nitty-gritty of real-life relationships, which are ultimately as rewarding as they are demanding.

In my mind, the one thing that separates a well-written set of lyrics from a shallow, saccharine kind of verse you find inscribed in greeting cards is a sense of conflict or danger. Michellarmanages to establish conflict from the very first lines, “We can’t see eye-to-eye / We have different ways, you and I.” Right off the bat, we meet two lovers on the precipice of collapse. They’re at a crossroads in their relationship, a moment of disagreement that could change everything. 

But as the refrain unfolds, we learn that they’ve also loved each other for a long time (most of their lives, in fact), and Michellar reminds us that when two people are really committed to one another, conflict, no matter how inextricable it may seem, doesn’t have to be the end. For me, one of the most poignant moments of the song comes at the end of the refrain, where Gracie Lou declares, “There must be a place right inside our hearts / That takes us right back to the very start.” The idea that we can always refer back to the passion we once had for each other, even in times of conflict, is a powerful sentiment, and one that all veteran couples understand.

The second verse elegantly sustains the momentum of the first, as a subtle string orchestra and gentle backing harmonies kick in to bolster Gracie Lou’s voice. “There are so many mysteries in this journey that we’ve taken / There are some roads that we’ve driven on alone,” she sings, evoking the familiar and enduring imagine of road to symbolize the wealth of experiences these two characters have to draw from as they work through their conflict. 

But it isn’t until the bridge that song blossoms into its full glory. Michellar displays a rare degree of musical literacy as she modulates into a waltz-like melody that recalls a mid-century standard, and Gracie Lou sings, “There’s many different ways to say that ‘I love you’ / We just need to grab on to one little spark we once made.” That’s the truth in a nutshell. It’s an unfortunate reality that conflict creeps its way into every relationship, but strong couples know that it’s simply another facet of loving someone, and rediscovering your love for each other is often the best way through.

Finally, Gracie Lou’s voice rises to an effusive crescendo on the last refrain, bringing the song to a powerful climax before fading into silence. Yet “We Both Can Fall” is not a song that disappears as soon as it’s over. It endures in your mind a moment longer, leaving the thoughtful listener with a quiet sense of revelation.

And with this ballad of resilience and commitment, Michellar adds country to the growing list of genres she has conquered. Where she will take us next is anyone’s guess.

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