One short year ago, New York duo MS MR released their angsty-as-hell debut EP, Candy Bar Creep Show, striking a chord in the hearts of critics with their full-bodied, doom-ridden sounds and themes (think hurricanes, global fires, exhumation). But it’s not the morbid doomsdayer element that makes them appealing; it’s their ability to drench their product in pop without reducing its gravity.
Their first full-length release, Secondhand Rapture, expands their sound beyond their ominous EP but stays faithful to their weighty delivery (for an example + cheerleaders vomiting glitter, see “Fantasy”).
In advance of their Sunday show at the Majestic Theatre, college-classmates-turned-power-duo Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow graciously agreed to answer some of our burning e-mail questions.
You’ve said before that the two of you don’t necessarily come from similar musical backgrounds. What, if any, common inspirations or influences do the two of you share?
“Honestly, the most magical part of the recording process was finding ourselves inspired by the same things even as we brought different musical ideas or genres to the table. Those inspirations are all over the map but we embraced that as part of our relationship and infatuation with collage. Feeding off that idea, we were drawn to mixed media and that affected our art both sonically and aesthetically. We’re incredibly inspired by New York City and absolutely couldn’t have written this album in any other place or at any other time in our lives (recent college grads and brand-new NYC immigrants). And ultimately we’re both huge fans of pop.”
Is it fair to say that the new tracks on Secondhand Rapture have departed somewhat from the darkness of the Candy Bar Creep Show set?
“We totally see how it could seem like that and definitely think there’s a wider emotional range on the album than on the EP. But the songs were written during the same two-year period, so they didn’t come from a starkly different emotional place. We chose the four songs from CBCS because we felt like they were sort of the most quintessential MS MR tracks and that they would lay a good foundation for the rest of the music that would come after.”
As MS MR has been gaining momentum, has Lizzy been forced to shift away from her record label work, or is it simply a more involved balance between the two?
“It’s definitely an ever-evolving balancing act, but it is much easier to make work than I think either of us initially anticipated. When we’re on the road it’s just about using free time as efficiently as possible, but being on the road is also this great opportunity for me to network with radio stations, promoters, other bands etc. and start expanding the world and network of Neon Gold. We’re incredibly supportive of one another in all of our various interests so Max is always understanding about making time for NG work the same way I am for him about his goals as a producer for other artists. We’re a powerful team.”
You’ve both expressed a deep affection for New York. What role does New York play in your music?
“As we said before, New York was an integral part of our writing process — we often say that it almost serves as the third member of the band. Lizzy writes her best lyrics while walking around the city while Max finds his apartment in Bed Stuy to be the best place to record tracks. There’s an incredible energy and electricity to the city that we both feed off of, especially in moments of crises like Hurricane Irene (which inspired ‘Hurricane’). And we’re part of a wonderful group of extremely creative and supportive friends and artists who have influenced our writing process in innumerable ways.”
Aside from your current tour, what else is on the horizon for MS MR?
“Touring until the end of time! We’re basically planning on being on the road for the next six months or so, but in the meantime we’re always thinking about what’s next and we’ve already got record number two on the brain.”