MXMS

Dark pop duo MXMS create shadowy vignettes that run the post-punk and goth gamut, channeling the prettiness of Mazzy Star and Garbage, as well as the foreboding of Portishead and Nine Inch Nails. The pair, whose name stands for “me and my shadow,” are vocalist Ariel Levitan and pianist/producer Jeremy Dawson (Shiny Toy Guns). They met in 2013 and immediately recorded their first track “omg,” a mournful dirge in the same vein as Trent Reznor’s saddest piano moments. Three months later, they played their first show, a multimedia art project performed at a funeral-inspired runway show, combining their love of fashion and cinematic aesthetics. Their second recording, “Rx,” arrived soon after, just as MXMS were signed to Grand Jury Music/BMI in late 2014. Dividing their time between performances in New York and Los Angeles, the duo continued recording for an eventual full-length, releasing third single, the funky Kills-esque “Anna” in 2015. ~ Neil Z. Yeung