For two beings to meet… first, create the universe.
Mike and Mandy are singer/songwriter Mandy and Arranger/Producer/Songwriter Mike. Their latest single, Wormhole, grew out of the “Space Oddity” themed music video that they made for their cover of The Cure’s Lovesong. The B-side of Wormhole, “Tesseract,” completes the trilogy.
Wormhole, which one reviewer described as appearing to be “…out of time,” has multiple influences; from the mellow psychedelia of mid-late Pink Floyd, to sixties bossa nova, to dub reggae bass lines, to the avante-garde production style and mellow vocals of Bjork, to the lonely journey of the Voyager space probe out of the solar system into interstellar space. Mike and Mandy are fans of multiple genres of music, and this belief that “genre is a cage” is apparent in their catalog of released music. Mike and Mandy look back to look forward, and have performed songs that are over a century old, as well as played hundreds of gigs covering multiple genres from the 1920’s onward. Mike was once the lead singer in a ska band. They love it all and mash up the different styles to create music somewhere between folktronica, indie-rock, dreampop, post-punk and lo-fi indietronica chill-hop.
At the beginning of 2020 Mike and Mandy shot a video for their cover of The Cure’s “Lovesong” that was set in outer space. At the end of that video, the two of them dissolved into a wormhole (a hypothetical “hole” in spacetime that allows one to travel great distances without having to obey the laws of physics). Mandy wrote what would become “Wormhole” and “Tesseract” in the days following the shoot for that final sequence in front of a green screen while on lockdown. Mike’s father is an astrophysicist (and colleague of Stephen Hawking’s) and concepts of space and time have always been fascinating and spiritual for both Mike and Mandy.
As actors and musicians, you can see Mike and Mandy in multiple places: Mandy plays a bluegrass musician and “sister” of pop star St. Vincent in the psychological thriller, “The Nowhere Inn,” released by IFC films. You probably saw Mike air-drumming to Rush in a Volkswagen commercial. He also appears in the new horror film, “Stoker Hills.” Since Mike and Mandy began releasing music during the pandemic, gigs for their original music have all been virtual… so far.
Some quotes from reviews and feedback that Mike and Mandy loved:
- “… a powerfully rolling alternative rock hymn.” – Mangowave review of “Ash Rain.”
- “Definitely a piece that you can listen to and want to constantly put on repeat. There’s never a dull moment throughout.” – StrikeANote on “Are You Now.”
- “It’s a listen which comes bearing gifts; candy for the ear and peace for the mind…” Mike and Mandy are “…one of four indie acts to watch out for in 2021.” – The Bops Collective
Some of the feedback we’ve gotten on “Wormhole” so far includes:
- “We love your song. It has a great atmosphere and that’s exactly what we are looking for.” – The Hand Editions (spotify playlister)
- “The mix of space aesthetics and romantic mood is very interesting and this song will take its well-deserved place in any Indietronica playlist.”
- “Such a soothing atmosphere when it came to the instrumental and I thought the track had an emotive vocal delivery.”
- “Mike and Mandy are into personal performances that are best described as intimate.”
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