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After charting a course for the release of their upcoming EP ‘TV Bliss’ with ‘Stars Align’, Phoenix alternative duo MRCH now share the follow-up single ‘Easiest To Bend’, along with the track’s official video. The duo have primed a cult following of those-in-the-know following shows with bands such as CHVRCHES, Foster The People and Blood Red Shoes.
‘Easiest To Bend’ sees MRCH’s shoegaze-tinged dream pop becoming ever hazier, with shimmering waves of distorted guitars buzzing around Mickey Pangburn’s hushed, reverb-heavy topline and celestial vocal harmonies. Its hallucinatory ambience is equalled by its crunching dynamics, ensuring that its sonic contrasts possess an edge in keeping with the complex emotions of its lyrics.
We had a chat with them to find out more...
Introduce yourselves and tell us about the band!
"Hi! This is Mickey and Jesse from MRCH. I (Mickey) am the lyricist/ vocalist/ guitarist/ synth player / art director. Jesse's the drummer/ booking agent/ accountant."
How did you meet and start making music? "We met in a music store! Jesse was a metal drummer and I was a singer songwriter hauling my acoustic guitar around town. We went to college studying jazz performance. Then we got Ableton and started learning how to produce. Loved the freedom electronic music afforded us and began writing as MRCH (pronounced like the month)." Is there a reason behind the name 'MRCH'? "We liked the idea of marching... to our own beat... in step and the same direction. We dropped the "A" in hopes to not get conflated with the thousands of marching bands. But now it's a talking point explaining how to say it." How would you describe your sound? "Indie electronic. Breathy. A little Melancholic but kinda big all at once." Do you have any major musical influences and do you feel they have a direct impact on the type of music you make? "Soooo many. A few go-to's are The Cranberries, Garbage, Portishead." You've just released your new track 'Easiest to Bend'! How has the reaction been so far? "Varied? But overall good. We're so unknown I'd say the reach has been small. But the general consensus in that small circle has been really positive." Tell us a little about the track! "'Easiest to Bend' has a really late 90's / early aughts beat and lyrics about vulnerability. It's just sort of a lullaby."
It's accompanied by an official music video! What was the creative vision behind the visuals for the song? "The video has a super simple concept. Use the colours and feel that the song evokes to me. The purples and blues, all hazy, that's the emotion of the song." Do you have a favourite lyric from the track, and why? "In the outro "Hold to that dream/ might make you scream/ might make you alter everything" is just a really raw notion. Sometimes the things that mean the most to us make us uncomfortable/ frustrated/ do things that don't make sense to anybody else. But the alternative - to not do the thing- is still somehow worse." Your new EP 'TV Bliss' is out soon! What can we expect from that release? "Four very unique songs. Hopefully a cohesive bunch though, with a thru-line of relatable words and a wall of compelling sounds." What else do you have in store for 2023? "We're focusing on the EP release and sorting out means to tour it post-release. We're also in the middle of writing the next record and brimming with ideas for everything to go along with it."
'Easiest To Bend' is out now. Listen HERE @mrch.music
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