Mxms

Forming shadowy narratives that span the post-punk and goth spectrum, dark pop duo MXMS channels the delicate beauty of Mazzy Star and Garbage together with the dark atmosphere of Portishead and Nine Inch Nails. The pair, whose name stands for "me and my shadow," comprises vocalist Ariel Levitan and pianist/producer Jeremy Dawson (Shiny Toy Guns). Meeting in 2013 prompted an immediate session that yielded their opening track "omg," a mournful dirge recalling the saddest piano passages from Trent Reznor. Three months afterward came their debut performance, a multimedia art project staged at a funeral-inspired runway show that fused their affinity for fashion and cinematic aesthetics. Their follow-up recording "Rx" surfaced shortly thereafter, arriving at the same moment MXMS signed with Grand Jury Music/BMI in late 2014. Splitting appearances between New York and Los Angeles, the duo kept tracking material toward an eventual full-length and delivered their third single, the funky Kills-esque "Anna," in 2015.