Phoenix-based shoegazer outfit MRCH (pronounced as March) — Mickey and Jess Pangburn — can trace their origins to when the duo met at a music store. Their backgrounds at the time were polar opposites: Mickey was a singer/songwriter and Jesse was a prog metal musician. But their differences became a strength — not only in regards to their genre backgrounds, but also their personalities: Mickey longed to make an emotional connection while Jesse loved to experiment with new sounds.
The pair studied jazz in Phoenix before shared influences like Cocteau Twins, New Order, Metric, Phantogram, St. Vincent, Purity Ring, and Beach House led to the creation of MRCH.
Their latest EP, the recently released TV Bliss is the follow-up to 2020’s No-Holds-Barred EP. The new EP represents a bold new era for the Phoenix-based duo: They delved much deeper into collaboration, first developing demos with the help of Jimmy Eat World‘s Jim Adkins. They also enlisted the assistance of Grammy-nominated producer Tony Hoffer and mastering by Dave Cooley.
The EP’s lyrical themes and visual aesthetic were inspired by Mickey Pangburn’s childhood memories of being lost in the escapism of television. Fittingly, the band has had songs appear in a number of TV shows including Shameless, Guilt, The Vampire Diaries, Famous in Love, Search Party, 13 Reasons Why, and The Twilight Zone.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about EP single “Cherry Painted Eyes,” a dreamy bit of shoegaze that brings back memories of 120 Minutes with the song being built around glistening synth arpeggios, Mickey Pangburn’s yearning delivery, buzzing guitars, thunderous drumming and rousingly anthemic, shout-along worthy choruses. But as the band explains, the upbeat nature of the song is actually deceptive.
“‘Cherry Painted Eyes’ is a song riddled with anxiety. Describing a series of panic attacks and bloodshot eyes . . .,” the band explains. “We wanted to make the video a little more lighthearted than that thought. Set in the void of space, complete with near hit from a passing comet, and a drink to take the edge off. This vid is a DIY playful nod to classics from The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins.”
TV Bliss’ latest single, the swooning “Wild” immediately channels Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness-era Smashing Pumpkins with Mickey Pangburn’s ethereal falsetto floating over a dreamy yet dramatic arrangement featuring painterly shoegazer textures paired with thunderous drumming and enormous hooks and choruses. Thematically, the song is about taking chances and being adventurous. As the band says of the song: “Life’s short. Do the thing.”
Directed by the band’s Mickey Pangburn and shot by Frank Thomas in Arcosanti, AZ, the video follows the duo through some eye-catching futuristic architecture on a glorious sunny day. According to the band, the video encapsulates the sentiment at the core of the song: “Growing up in the middle of the Arizona desert, Arcosanti is a well known artist community. Kind of Star Warsian. We wanted to feature something uniquely home state with a futuristic element cause we’re looking forward… maybe even allowing ourselves to be excited about what’s next ~ which is really what ‘Wild’ is about. Taking a chance on an adventure.”