photo credit: Noelle Duquette & Savannah Elisabeth Jankosky (Maia) + Alex Perkins (CRJ)

Written by Lauren Rosier

Mxmtoon shares her new video for her song “ok on your own” featuring Carly Rae Jepsen taken from her latest EP, dusk. Mxmtoon also released another EP, dawn, earlier this year that accompanies the latest release.

The video is shot, edited, and directed by Maia and features animation from TootyMcNooty. For dusk, Maia chose to work with other female artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, Merrill Garbus of TuNe-YaRdS, who produced some of the tracks.

Maia recently also announced her podcast, 365 days with mxmtoon, where each day for one year, she will take you through the most interesting, weird, and funny events of that day in history. The podcast is released in partnership with Talkhouse and Allbirds. You can listen to episodes here.

Mxmtoon got her start in 2017 when she began releasing self-produced songs and immediately began cultivating a fanbase. In 2018, she released her EP Plum, which has earned over 100 million streams. In 2019, it marked the release of her debut full-length album, the masquerade.

Watch the video for “ok on your own” below.

Connect with Mxmtoon

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify

The wet weather this week didn’t dampen the spirits of Philly concertgoers, as big crowds turned out for acts like Courtney Barnett, Benjamin Booker, and Shakey Graves, but now it’s time for the sun to clear the way for a fresh batch of weekend shows. First, though, a shout out to Instagram user @ally2137 for using #phillyconcerts at the Little Dragon show last week! Follow her lead with your concert pics and posts this weekend.

Friday, October 24

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour @ Underground Arts

Get your dose of European-flavored pop with the Danish band built around vocalist Mette Lindberg and songwriter/producer Lars Iversen. After initially gaining recognition when featured in a 2008 Apple commercial, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour recently released their third album, Bring Us Together, on Hot Bus Records. Leisure Cruise opens.

Sylvan Esso @ Union Transfer

When the electropop duo of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn was last at Union Transfer in June, they were opening for Tune-Yards and winning me over with their smooth, seductive sound. Hit single “Coffee” is only the tip of their fantastic debut album, and they will get the room moving Friday night. Psychic Twin opens.

Saturday, October 25

Temples / The Districts @ Union Transfer (early show)

After conquering the big SBC stage at XPNFest this summer, The Districts are living the dream, in town Saturday with Fat Possum labelmates Temples. I haven’t seen them since guitarist Mark Larson left the band, but I’m sure their brand of blues-rock is still in fine form. The English gents in Temples bring a more psychedelic sound, and have received a warm welcome in Philly before.

Ages and Ages @ MilkBoy Philly

The whole gang will be there as this Portland rock collective crams onto the stage at Center City’s MilkBoy Saturday night. Featuring raw, uplifting arrangements, Ages and Ages will get your spirit stirring. Also on the bill is the slightly more subtle Horse Thief and local artist Former Belle.

The line between music and sex occasionally blurs, with both expressions rooted in passion, excitement, and rhythm. For the thousand-plus sweaty bodies at Union Transfer Sunday night, they proved one and the same as Tune-Yards and Sylvan Esso made love to the crowd through their songs.

Opening act Sylvan Esso is the unlikely duo of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, and the combination of her beautiful voice with his inventive beats creates a stirring sound that can make you cry or make you come. Meath, dressed simply in pants and a tank top with her hair in a bun, nevertheless set the mood with her gyrating hips and potent voice. The set featured songs from Sylvan Esso’s self-titled album, released in May on Partisan Records. Popular tracks “Hey Mami”, “Coffee”, and “Play It Right” showcased both artists’ talents, but it was banger “H.S.K.T.” that brought the crowd to a dance-fueled climax.

Sylvan Esso (photo credit, Adam McGrath)

Properly stimulated, the diverse crowd recharged for round two with headliner Tune-Yards. The stage backdrop was spotted with eerie floating eyeballs, which would later be highlighted by strobing spotlights. Large swaths of pink fabric stretched toward the edges of the stage, punctuated in the center by a sharp-toothed mouth. Freud would have a field day with that one.

Anchored by the multi-talented Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner, Tune-Yards looked a lot different than they did back in October of 2011 at the same venue. Yes, the aesthetics were similar, with Garbus sporting her trademark neon facepaint and an eclectic outfit, but the lineup has shifted to include percussionist Dani Markham and vocalists Jo Lampert and Abigail Nessen-Bengson. These changes reflect the new direction of the band’s music on latest release, Nikki Nack (4AD).

Whereas earlier Tune-Yards songs were built with Garbus looping and layering multiple tracks of percussion and vocals, the new songs tap into a more organic inspiration, that of Haitian drumming and culture. Garbus became enamored with these rhythms during a trip to the beleaguered island nation last year, and she and her bandmates have been working with and raising funds for a company in their hometown of Oakland, California to send them to Haiti for the first time.

Tune-Yards played seven songs from Nikki Nack, and each performance on its own was an impressive accomplishment. Garbus showcased her incredible vocal range, from powerful bellow to delicate high notes. Lampert was awesomely animated, throwing her body into every line she sang. There seemed to be a real spiritual connection between the musicians that translated to intricate yet expansive performances of the new songs. The only time I really missed the horn section was on the smash hit “Bizness” from previous album Whokill.

While I definitely enjoyed Tune-Yards’ performance, it failed to achieve the same orgasmic intensity as Sylvan Esso’s set. The passion and excitement were there, but the rhythm of the performance was stunted by the lengthy interludes between each song. Sure, it was nice to hear that Garbus’ stylist is from Philly, and that part of the ticket price is going toward funding a Haitian drum company, but the result was a set that was like a heavy petting session without full release. I would have liked to hear more than the 12 songs that were played, or at least hear them in a way that kept me locked in to the emotional core of the brilliant music this band produces.

Nikki Nack

Reviewed by: Lara Supan

I’m the first to admit when I just don’t get something. I just don’t get it.

Nikki Nack is a hipster’s wet dream- completely schizophrenic and non-linear with evocative, introspective lyrics and complex percussion throughout. Where do the songs end? Your guess is as good as mine. What genre is this? Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if no one really knew. But, it’s a stellar listen and definitely worth your time and attention to see if any of this makes sense to you.

On this album you will experience: Pop, Rock, World, a Field Song, R&B, Spoken Word, and what can only be described as somewhat atonal Free-Pop. Tight vocal harmonies, intricate, lyrically driven rhythmic themes and intriguingly unique instrumentation are the only cohesive aspects of Nikki Nack. The track titled “Interlude: Why Do We Dine On The Tots?” is the most stand out on the album (not easy to choose) because it is a spoken word poem about eating small children. “Wait For a Minute” is the track that gets closest to a main stream setting for a pop song, however by the time you make it to the tenth track, you’ll probably be more shocked by the uniformity than the rest of the eclectic song choices.

Nikki Nack is a tour de force for tUnE-yArDs, displaying a robust knowledge of songwriting, harmonic progression and orchestration. But, I still don’t get it. I suggest you find out if you do!

Rating: Listenable