Review: Mike Carrozza, Cherubic

On the first track of his debut album, Mike Carrozza is introduced by local Toronto comedian, Hisham Kelati, as “the sweetest strangest boy [he’s] ever met”. It ends with a physical bit Mike punches by saying he’s “too conscious about how this [album] is going to be consumed.” These moments set the tone for the wild ride that is Cherubic.

Mike’s style of stand up is loud, boisterous, and silly, though his volume is only matched by his comedic skill. Every joke is a seed that Mike tends into a full flower that he squirts into your face.

Crafting worlds around the smallest of jokes; blending punchlines into a never ending cycle of tags; the whole hour feels so cohesive because Mike utilizes every second of time. He has analyzed every joke, smashed it apart, and deconstructed it in order to extract all of its potential. The care put into Cherubic shows how accomplished a comedian he is.

Whether it’s the deep dive observation into the silliness of a chef’s kiss, or the creation of a wild reality of bears oversleeping into hibernation, Mike pulls you into his world that bends traditional stand up comedy into absurdism.

Cherubic was released September 4, 2020 on Blonde Medicine Records.
Listen to it here.