MRCH: The Dynamic Electro Pop Duo
The band present themselves as follows on their website:
Since their inception in 2015, indie electronic duo MRCH from Phoenix, AZ, has been recognized by The Guardian as “band of the week” and CMJ as - one to watch, with CoS debuting their single Glitter McQueen. The duo has toured extensively, opening for Chvrches, Foster the People, Skylar Spence, Kero Kero Bonito, and many others.
MRCH songs have been featured in episodes of Shameless, 13 Reasons Why, Search Party, Guilt, The Vampire Diaries, Pitchfork/Ford's In Focus series, and Famous in Love.
MRCH is currently touring with new music on the way. Full of glassy synth, biting guitar and whimsical vocals; MRCH is a pop-post-punk-dream-wave-amalgamation.
MRCH is Jesse and Mickey Pangburn.
Their music work to date is:
HIGHWAY DRIVIN', single, June 2015
SPIN, single, November 2015
I Love You, but You Don't Know What You're Talking About, EP, June 2016
Glitter McQueen, single, November 2016
Reactions, LP, October 2017
Heart of Glass (cover), single, March 2018
Slay Me, single, March 2018
Dizzy, single, August 2018
The Other Side, single, November 2018
What is your music about?
Our music is about everything. Sometimes a tone, a sound, a feeling leads us to writing a song. Sometimes an event or emotion has us pen lyrics and then fashion music around it.
Tell us about some people you’ve worked with
We’ve played alongside some awesome artists like Chvrches. But in an opening act capacity. We have collaborated with a ton of people. But we’d love to do more of that.
What are your goals as a band?
Our goals are simple. Make music that we’d want to listen to and love to play...and be able to provide for our family and friends with it. We love touring, so to be invited to tour with some of our favorite acts would be the dream. Playing late night wouldn’t be too shabby either.
Who would be your dream producer?
Dream producer to work with - Ariel Rechtshaid.
What are you trying to avoid as a band?
The only thing we’re trying to avoid as a band is redundancy. There are always popular sounds and aesthetics.... and a certain number of people have to like what you’re doing to be successful... but, we try hard to just make art that we care about. No need to copy someone else or stick by a formula. We make a lot of mistakes... and we learn. But, we don’t attempt to fit a mould.
Explain your writing process
Our writing process changes all the time. An idea can come first, or a beat, or a vibe. Whenever inspiration strikes we jam it out. We do try to maintain a schedule of rehearsal and writing though, just to help get into that creative space even when we don’t necessarily “feel like it”.
In 2018 there is no new or old music, explain?
In 2018 there’s no new or old music. People can easily be influenced by the charts and label curated playlists via streaming service under the guise of organic creation. That’s fine. But try to listen to everything! A 17 yr old might not dig every style of music they hear... but maybe they will fall in love with some 70’s funk fusion tunes and broaden their horizons. The accessibility can lead to over saturation... or it can lead to unlimited exploration and artistic growth. It’s a great thing.
Why do you make the music your make?
We make the music we make because it’s what comes out. Sometimes in the past we’ve been constrained by our level of understanding. Whether it be musical ability or production knowledge. We’ve really gone deeper into study & rehearsal for those things. As far as content, it’s generally just life related. Getting our thoughts, frustrations, loves out on pen and paper, then playing it all out for an audience (hopefully with some people who can relate/ be encouraged).
Describe you palette of sound
Our sound is generally melancholic, dance-y & ethereal.
Which one of your releases are you the most proud of ?
We’re most proud of the album we’re working on now because it’s where we are. Our upcoming track Some Days has got us twitterpated.
What do you like best about being a touring band?
The best part of being a touring band is hands down the shows. The worst part is booking sans agent, label, or band friends with said agent or label. We take our gigs really seriously, but venues often see our cold email without some legitimate agency name alongside it and automatically assume things about us. So it takes us booking and playing before we hear things like “oh, you guys are cool, next time we’ll get you here on a weekend & help”...
You’re in a band with family, what is it like?
Being in a band with family is cool because you don’t have to tip-toe around music conversations. We’ve got a good short-hand communication & are generally on the same page.
