Mien

Featuring members of the Earlies, the Horrors and the Black Angels, Mien make psych-rock inspired by artists as diverse as Conny Plank, Nico, and George Harrison. The band's roots date back to 2004, when Elephant Stone bassist/sitar player/keyboardist Rishi Dhir played with Black Angels frontman Alex Maas – who was with his former band the Brian Jonestown Massacre at the time – at that year's South by Southwest. Soon after, Dhir played with Earlies' keyboardist John-Mark Lapham and discovered that they both loved the Association's sitar-heavy psych-pop track "Wantin' Ain't Gettin'." Their attempts to cover the song led to an extended collaboration that became Mien nearly a decade later, when Dhir and Maas connected with Horrors keyboardist Tom Furse during the band's Skying tour in 2012. As they continued to work on the Association cover, their own songs began to emerge, and Mien's first single, "Black Habit," appeared in early 2018. That April, the band's self-titled debut album arrived via Rocket Recordings.

The Afrobeat-infused disco project Ibibio Sound Machine, based in London and fronted by Nigerian native Eno Williams, impressed us with last year’s Eiyo EP and the single “Basquiat.” Today they’re announcing a new album and sharing another immaculate burner for your listening pleasure. The new album, Doko Mien, is out in March on North Carolina indie staple Merge Records. Its lead single is the title track of sorts, “Tell Me (Doko Mien),” an absurdly infectious percussive party track seemingly inspired by the same influences that fueled Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem. Synths percolate insistently; the brass section blares playfully; a complex rhythm builds from many interlocking parts including pizzicato guitar. Atop it all, Williams delivers a casually excellent diva vocal that suggests coming up with a song this contagiously fun is the easiest thing in the world. (It isn’t.)