After the release of their well-received four-track EP Candy Bar Creep Show, MS MR have capitalized on their momentum and are set to release a new album in May 2013. Max Hershenow, the MR of the duo, produces nuanced music to back the vocals of the MS, Lizzy Plapinger, to create a sound often compared to Florence + the Machine. As the first preview of the upcoming LP Second Hand Rapture, “Fantasy” suggests the band’s movement away from the brooding anguish of the slow-burning EP and toward a more vigorous and provocative sound.
The track begins simply, with layered vocals over basic organ and piano melodies. A sharp clapping beat punctures Plapinger’s voice as additional layers are piled on, infusing the track with a building energy. Suddenly the vocals hang in near silence, with only a reverberating piano in support, as the track takes on a weightless quality. The chorus follows with explosive passion, releasing the pent up energy in a catharsis carried by heavy rolling percussion. A resigned fury runs through the song, playing with layers and transitions to illustrate the shifts from frosty suffering to searing rage.
Each of the duo’s tracks are embedded with dark and foreboding elements funneled through driving beats and worn vocals, as seen in gems like “Bones” which revolves around exhumation or their apocalyptic “Dark Doo Wop” which could very well lead the march to the End. The disjointed and self-reflective “Hurricane” even made it onto our Best Songs of 2012 (and before that our Summer Jams ’12 mixtape). It may be too soon to tell, but all signs are promising for this duo’s upcoming full-length album.