ARTIST FEATURE: MXMS

Apparently there are more than 1510 music genres in existence (according to everynoise.com), but we’ve recently been hooked on a new elusive sound so fresh that it has yet to be categorized. Well, actually it was more like late 2015 when We Are: The Guard started to take notice of one of the most exciting acts in the pop scene, duo MXMS (Me and My Shadow), but that’s not the important point here. Their dark take on the genre is everything opposite of the light and bubbly sound that we’ve come to expect from pop and it’s culture...in fact it’s so opposite that in order to properly represent their style they’ve created the sub-genre Funeral Pop.

If you are not familiar at all with Funeral Pop, you will certainly be hooked or perhaps even obsessed after we highlight a bit more on lead singer Ariel Levitan and Grammy nominated Jeremy Dawson. We could mention how incredible we think they are...but we already did that in the piece that J. Simpson wrote. We could also praise them on their latest emotional and irresistible single “I Revenge,” but we’ve also pretty much covered that as well. Instead, we’ll let the duo take the mic and share with us a glimpse into the painful artistic world that is responsible for audible delight.

WATG: What is funeral pop? 
MXMS: Funeral pop is basically the conjugality of death positivity, darkness and honesty into media.  You won’t get anywhere close to those elements in “regular” pop music on an emotional, spiritual or lyrical basis.  We along with our peers are quietly creating a window into the upside down of pop culture.

WATG: What is your personal style?
MXMS: Ariel - Somewhere between the Grim Reaper and Saint Laurent
Jeremy - I usually wear Ariela’s clothes or Asher Levine w Docs

WATG: What is your new single “I Revenge”  about? 
MXMS: This is our interpretation of a simple "caught your partner cheating" moment. Imagine the exact second when you find the emails, the DMs .. the lies and the months and years unfold into a numbing scream and you react.  
Ariel: This was my reaction to catching my ex cheating. My plan was to cut off his balls while he was sleeping and then try to process whether I felt guilty or not, because that was questionable.  Rather than go to jail, Jeremy and I got it down on paper and created this song out of the whole experience and no one was hurt (besides me). 

Stay tuned for more shadow inspired/genre defying creations of MXMS. Until then, enjoy this playlist of some Funeral Pop songs that MXMS put together exclusively for WATG fans.

About Beca Arredondo

Beca Arredondo is easily unamused with all things not related to her interests. On her good days you can catch her avoiding the California sun and glued to her Mac plotting the next big thing. If you happen to run into her on the street and notice her wearing headphones do NOT disturb her. She is not responsible for any possible damage. Aside from the above she's very sweet and perky and responds well to good music and food.