MXMS Release Inspirational EP, Funeral Pop I, on May 1st
Photo Credit: Dirk Mai
In preparation of their debut EP Funeral Pop I, MXMS have shared three singles “All Night,” “Gravedigger,” and their newest song “Paris.” MXMS— short for Me and My Shadow— is comprised of vocalist Ariel Levitan and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Dawson. After meeting in a shared studio space in LA, the two instantaneously began making music together. Their first releases came in 2015 with “OMG” and “RX.”
“Paris” embodies what will likely be the softer side of the EP, with Levitan’s deep-toned melodies combined over muted percussion and synthesizers. Somber yet hopeful, the lyrics alone are pleading and gentle. “Will you stay?” and “Don’t leave me alone” echo for long swaths of the track, creating an open-ended question until Levitan’s voice eventually resigns, “I can’t be without you.”
The second single from the EP, “All Night,” echoes the same sense of unrequited love, although with far less hope. In addition to the minor piano chords and slower rhythm, Levitan’s voice growls and hisses through the track in a way that makes it heavier. “Night after night, I close my eyes and think of you, I’m not waking up…” This melancholic track shows the painful side of wanting someone that isn’t there.
If the title doesn’t suggest it enough on its own, “Gravedigger” conveys something much darker than the other two singles. A heavy bass is used throughout, lyrics hushed in Levitan’s tenor match with time. Distorted sounds and aggressive percussion create a controlled chaos within the track, as each line goes back and forth between an unhealthy relationship and literal grave digging with equal amounts.
From the initial three tracks off Funeral Pop I, it’s clear that MXMS plan to explore any and every avenue of the term “funeral pop” for the EP’s namesake, from pop synthesizing pleas to heavy bass-infused spite. Transformative and flourishing, the duo is planning a summer US tour with She Wants Revenge, with additional tour dates to be announced.
Tour Dates
05.01 Los Angeles, CA | Regent Theatre
05.02 San Diego, CA | Brick By Brick
05.03 Las Vegas, NV | Counts Vampd
05.04 Phoenix, AZ | Club Red
05.06 Dallas, TX | Gas Monkey Live
05.07 Austin TX | Come and Take It Live
05.08 Houston,TX | Warehouse Live
05.10 West Palm Beach, FL | Respectables
05.11 Tampa, FL | The Orpheum
05.12 Atlanta, GA | The Masquerade
05.14 Baltimore, MD | Ottobar
05.15 Amityville, NY | Revolution
05.16 Brooklyn, NY | The Kingsland (Sold Out)
05.17 Providence, RI | Fete Music Hall (Sold Out)
05.18 Philadelphia, PA | Trocodero
05.20 Buffalo, NY | Mohawks Place
05.21 Cleveland, OH | Symposium
05.22 Detroit, MI | Token Lounge
05.23 Madison, WI | Hijynx Bar
05.24 Omaha, NE | Dr Jacks
05.25 Colorado Springs, CO | The Black Sheep
06.09 Lincoln, NE | Bourbon Theatre
06.10 Oklahoma City, OK | 89th Street
06.11 Albuquerque, NM | Sister Bar
06.12 Tucson, AZ | 191 Toole
06.13 Phoenix, AZ | Crescent Ballroom
06.14 El Paso, TX | Lowbrow Palace
06.15 Austin, TX | Scoot Inn
06.16 New Orleans, LA | House Of Blues
06.18 Orlando, FL | Soundbar
06.25 Montreal, QB | Theatre Fairmount
06.26 Albany, NY | Skyloft
06.27 Pittsburgh, PA | Foxtail
06.28 Nashville, TN | Exit/In
06.29 Atlanta, GA | Terminal West
06.30 Durham, NC | Motorco Music Hall
