Gilligan Moss

Eclectic duo Gilligan Moss make upbeat, kaleidoscopic dance-pop that incorporates playful yet yearning vocals into funky, intricately arranged rhythms. They have has described their music ambiguously as “déance” or “garden-disco” and have cited Talking Heads as a major influence, predominantly due to their sense of rhythm and character-based lyrics, the latter of which the duo have utilized heavily in their music. Initially a pseudonym for a songwriter simply known as Evan, Gilligan Moss released debut EP Ceremonial in 2015 before becoming a duo with the addition of Ben, Evan’s friend since childhood. Evan spent his early life growing up in Chicago, where he met Ben in preschool, prior to moving to New York in search of a career. Eventually he found himself in an “intense” role as a management consultant; it was during this time that he wrote his first single as Gilligan Moss, “Choreograph.” The blogosphere picked up on his initial creative endeavors, and the resulting hype persuaded him to give up his day job, choosing to produce music full-time instead. The early buzz paved the way for some impressive remixes for artists including Glass Animals (“Gooey”) and Sia (“Big Girls Cry”). After a prolonged stretch in his home studio, Evan produced the first Gilligan Moss EP, Ceremonial, alongside Van Rivers (Fever Ray, Glasser, Matthew Dear), who advised on creative decisions and assisted in the final stages of mixing. Ceremonial was released in August 2015 via AMF Records. Following the EP’s release, Glass Animals invited Gilligan Moss to accompany them on their U.S. tour. When it came to performing live, Evan enlisted Ben to handle the bassline synths. The two began writing songs together after the tour wrapped up, and Gilligan Moss officially became a duo. They completed remixes for Sebastien Tellier (“La Ritournelle”) and Tegan and Sara (“Boyfriend”) in 2016, and worked on their own material somewhere in the woods of upstate New York. Second EP What Happened? appeared in 2018. ~ Liam Martin & Paul Simpson