Tag: MRCH

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Phoenix Shoegazers MRCH Share Anthemic “Cherry Painted Eyes”

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 forthcoming EP, TV Bliss is slated for an October 13, 2023 release through Vertex Music Ltd.. The follow-up to 2020’s No-Holds-Barred EP, the Phoenix-based shoegazer outfit’s forthcoming EP reportedly represents a bold new era for them: The duo delved 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.

TV Bliss‘ third and latest single “Cherry Painted Eyes” is a dreamy bit of sheogaze that brings back memories of 120 Minutes. The song is 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.”

The video sees the pair employing AI — for good. “We built the sets out of paint, paper, quilt batting, and insulation boards. Then coupled it with AI-generated fill and sketches on ProCreate to help expand the world,” the Phoenix-based duo say. “There’s been a lot of talk in the arts lately about the negative aspects of AI. And there are for sure elements of it that are scary. Ones that can lead to really negative outcomes. But, we’re interested in using it as an opportunity to create beyond our budget. A lot like the approach we take with our music. We use whatever tools we can. Whether it’s the cheapest gear or the newest techniques. It’s all fair game. Some of this new tech kind of gives us a way to realize bigger ideas. The song and video are both a bit about bridging those gaps between fear and opportunity.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of duo Mickey and Jesse Pangburn, the Phoenix-based indie electro pop duo MRCH can trace their origins to when the duo met while studying in Prescott, AZ — and as the story, the duo approached a sparsely populated jazz focus from radically different tracks: Jesse came from a technical background and was a fan of the the dense sonic textures of prog rock and metal while Mickey married complex jazz theory with a deep knowledge of 80s TV and pop culture. Initially, the duo, who spent years in the Phoenix rock scene, built up a strong local profile and over he course of a few years, started to receive national attention with praise from major media outlets including CMJ, The Guardian and Consequence of Sound, as well as placements on TV series like Shameless, Vampire Diaries and Search Party among others.

2017’s full-length effort Reactions touched upon themes of life changes, love and the loss of innocence and found the duo pushing their sound towards much more brooding territory with lead single “My Mistake” being featured on 13 Reasons Why. As Mickey Pangburn explains in press notes, “Last year and 2017 were so hard, personally. Family health issues and things that I thought I would be older for when they happened . . . All of this amidst the political climate we are in. Circumstances haven’t changed, but our outlook has. I feel more optimistic than I have in a long time. These songs are coming from a fun lace — not in a poppy, light way, but in a brighter view of the light guiding our writing processes.”

Centered by shimmering and arpeggiated synths, thumping beats, ethereal vocals, thumping polyrhythm and a soaring hook, the Phoenix duo’s latest single “Some Days” is a hopeful song; the sort of song that reflects narrators, who finally see a sunny day after some painful and dark days — and are actively trying to look forward towards the future. As Mickey Pangburn explains the song “is [a] step into the light. A reigning of some sense of anticipation.  A warm look back on where all our dreams came from and an honest, hopeful look forward. It could be interpreted as an airy love song . . . but it’s really about any deep love we have (be it [a] person, or as in our case — an idea).”