Release New Single
“Gossip”
By Experimental Electronic Duo
NMND
In Support of Skid Row Housing Trust
March 5, 2021
Sound of a Squint (SOAS), an imprint helmed by music industry veteran Allen Avanessian, has just released “Gossip,” a new single by NMND , today, March 5, 2021. Following the recent release of Mana Contractor and McLean Macionis’ debut EP, Integration, the duo’s next tune is a colorful and eclectic dance track featuring chopped-up vocals and lo-fi vibrations ricocheting over shards of broken breakbeats. Avanessian’s new label, in partnership with Symphonic Distribution, will donate a portion of proceeds to the Skid Row Housing Trust, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization seeking to eliminate the structural causes of homelessness. To learn more about NMND, please visit https://linktr.ee/nmnd. |
“We are thrilled to release our next single with Allen,” says NMND. “Our creative process is motivated by the intention to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Having spent most of our lives in cities surrounded by a growing homeless population makes this collaboration with Sound of a Squint, in support of Skid Row Housing Trust, that much more meaningful to us.”
With their latest single, NMND builds on the collage process that is central to both artists’ creative practices. In Macionis’ words, “‘Gossip’ is a reflection on the power of our words and the manner in which we use them to influence the people around us.” Beginning with a cacophony of glitched-out conversation amongst family, Contractor improvises a melody garnished with an emphatic sigh; blowing off the drama before sharing her exasperation with a sly sonified eye-roll. Her voice is then pulled apart, rearranged, and reorganized using a plethora of creative technology. These alluring vocal manipulations spread like a rumor throughout the track, tempting the listener ever closer until they find themselves right in the middle of the conversation. Contractor calls out several repetitions of the phrase “you are” as if to point an imaginary finger toward the listeners themselves. The chorus signals a triumphant and unifying shift as the phrase “who we are” resounds over scintillating synthesizers and a playful lo-fi piano lead. The track is sealed with a kiss and Contractor’s lighthearted beatboxing leaves the listener tapping their foot having long-forgotten about what all the fuss was about in the first place.
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