IN ALLIANCE WITH WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
ACCLAIMED FUNERAL POP DUO
MXMS
PREMIERE POWERFUL AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL VIDEO FOR
“WHAT’S MY NAME”
“This song is a snapshot into the racing mind in harrowing and traumatizing moments. Words pierce. Feelings get hurt. And we are left desperate for solutions. There is a solution; and that is love.”
- MXMS
"'What’s My Name' is a haunting and minimal piano ballad that’s also deeply autobiographical, as Levitan and Dawson drew on their personal experiences in writing it." - FLOOD
“What’s My Name” is available on all platforms HERE
Last month, Me and My Shadow, also known as MXMS, released their new single, “What’s My Name,” in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day. War torn from battles with mental illness and addiction, the duo wanted their listeners to know that it was an important day.
In alliance with World Mental Health Day, today, the duo comprised of singer, Ariel Levitan, and multi-instrumentalist, Jeremy Dawson release the official music video, that shares their autobiographical story “What’s My Name.” “It is our sincere hope that this song spreads awareness around the consequences of bullying, and it’s lasting effects on mental health,” says Levitan. “We salute anyone who has persevered through darkness. Let’s continue the conversation, speak the truth and conquer all hatred through darkness.”
In a Flood Magazine exclusive, Ariel and Jeremy share their story and you can read that in full here.
Like many of the band’s previous singles, “What’s My name” deals with sensitive subject matter best captured with a beautifully haunting delivery, relying on the minimalism of Jeremy’s raw piano and Ariel’s voice.
“What’s My Name” is auto-biographical, for both Levitan and Dawson who combined their stories and experiences into this harrowing illustration which outlines the intrusive thoughts of a young girl who was adopted and left behind by her biological parents - a young girl who must grapple with her fears and insecurities. A young girl who must endure relentless bullying on a daily basis.
“What’s My Name”
Directed By: Cary Longchamps | @zero5four
Wardrobe: Lethal Amounts | http://www.lethalamounts.com
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ABOUT MXMS:
MXMS has created a truly captivating new genre - ‘Funeral Pop.” Interview Magazine says, “funeral pop,” the music created by MXMS, is rarely confined to the darker side of the human experience. Their music frequently swells from lush yet painfully intimate lows to rousing and inspirational cinematic highs.”
War torn from past and present battles of mental illness and addiction, the monsters are very real and the abyss is a current state of reality for MXMS, short for “Me and My Shadow." The self-produced duo from New York City and small town Oklahoma creates their own musical genre “Funeral Pop” fusing classic melodic songwriting with dark unfiltered chaos driven by a thousand forms of fear.
’Me and My Shadow’ pendulum swing from raw piano and voice to an expansive pallet of dark instrumentation, pulsing analog synthesizers and a crushing rhythm section layered around Ariel’s haunting delivery. Focusing on movements of emotional trauma and taboo metaphoric expression, the brutal honesty of MXMS leaves an open invitation for listeners' own stories rise to the surface. Their debut EP Funeral Pop I includes previous singles “Paris,” “After Night,” and “Gravedigger,” which garnered attention from Suicide Sheep, Earmilk, KCRW, and Spotify editorial playlists including Chill Vibes, Alternative Beats, Sludge, Just Chill, Fresh Finds, and Indie Darlings as well as the Topsify's Indie Mixtape playlist. “Paris” also hit #1 on Hype Machine the first week of release, and MXMS has received press from the likes of Consequence of Sound, Vulture, NestHQ, Rolling Stone, Fader and many others.
“not all acts go so far as to name their studio space “the grave” or incorporate funeral themes into their visual aesthetic. Enter: MXMS, an up-and-coming Los Angeles duo that does eerie, gloomy synthpop the way that it should be done.”
CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND
“MXMS describe their music as FUNERAL POP. And if they are the creators and leading artist of this small subgenre, Funeral Pop is worth your time and attention.”
EARMILK
“LA dark-pop duo MXMS (Me And My Shadow) …if Taylor Swift ever discovers goth sorceress Chelsea Wolfe.”
STEREOGUM
"MXMS would seem to have one of those unpronounceable band names, but a little digging reveals that the name stands for "Me and My Shadow". The name is appropriately anonymous for a group that labels its atmospheric, brooding music as "funeral pop." But there is no disputing the results that multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Dawson and vocalist Ariel Levian have achieved as they slowly trickle tracks out to listeners.”
THE 405
“Inhabiting an aggressive, potentially dangerous side of female empowerment…proceed with caution.“
BLACKBOOK
