Ted When

Before stepping out as the Nashville-based vocalist, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Ted When, he had fronted the Los Angeles outfit Mansions on the Moon, debuting on his own with the 2020 release “Edge Off,” a track that fuses weightless vocals and layered rhythms into an airy yet forward-moving whole.

A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Ted Wendler assembled Mansions on the Moon during his time in Los Angeles in 2010. Their distinctive fusion of dream pop, EDM, and hip-hop drew notice from Diplo, who teamed with DJ Benzi to present the 2010 mixtape Paradise Falls, as well as from Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, who served as executive producer on the band’s debut EP, Lightyears, issued in 2012. Additional milestones included shared bills with Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller plus reinterpretations of material by Foster the People and Zee Avi. The self-titled studio album arrived in 2014, followed by a featured appearance on Fred Falke’s 2016 single “It’s a Memory.” After relocating to Nashville, Wendler composed the atmospheric, Casio-driven synth-pop number “Edge Off,” which confronts his experiences with substance abuse and isolation. With production assistance from Zack Sekoff, a frequent collaborator of Vince Staples and Thundercat, the 2020 single marked the start of his solo work under the Ted When moniker.