Ape School

**Ape School** is the brainchild of Philadelphia-based musician Michael Johnson, a genre-blurring artist known for weaving psychedelic pop, electronic experimentation, and off-kilter rock into a kaleidoscopic sound. Since emerging in the mid-2000s, Johnson has treated Ape School as a shapeshifting project, oscillating between solo work and collaborative efforts with rotating bandmates. His music often balances catchy hooks with warped textures, landing somewhere between bedroom-pop intimacy and sci-fi grandeur. Over the years, he’s dropped albums like *Junior Violence* and *Can a Snake Have a Rainbow?*, and his 2020s output—including tracks like “Hog Heaven” and “Watching the World Burn”—continues his knack for pairing existential lyricism with heady, layered production. Ape School’s work has drawn comparisons to art-rock eccentrics like Ariel Pink (who Johnson has collaborated with) and Deerhoof, but his sonic playfulness remains distinctly his own. Whether he’s crafting danceable weirdness or introspective slow-burners, Johnson keeps listeners guessing while maintaining a DIY spirit that feels refreshingly unpolished.