Premiere: Bengaluru Electronic Duo Mannequin Disorder’s Dancey Debut EP ‘Tongue & Cheek’
Created out of psych rock band White Mug, there’s synthwave, nu disco and even a song in Spanish
Mathew and Louis C.M. from Bengaluru electronic duo Mannequin Disorder. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
After a couple of years of performing at festivals and clubs across South India, Mannequin Disorder have distilled their heady blend of electronic music on record with their debut EP Tongue & Cheek.
Formed by brothers Mathew and Louis C.M. – who also founded Bengaluru psychedelic rock band White Mug – the electronic turn is ably aided by fuzzy guitar riffs, pumping rhythmic work and nostalgic synth lines. The four tracks cover ground in terms of funky disco vibes (“Crush”), swirling electronica (“I Love My Dancing”) and dancefloor-friendly beats (“Can’t Get You Outta My Mind”). Mathew mentions that the songs were written over the course of two years, with their newest song being the Spanish-language “Para Dos.” The vocalist, producer and guitarist says, “We complete a song in the studio after performing the song live and later add more elements while jamming. The cycle repeats until we are content.”
Inspired by his stay in Mexico last year, Mathew says with a laugh that he “exhausted all the Español” he knows in the track “Para Dos,” which is equal parts dreamy and focused. He adds, “Mexico is a beautiful artsy country. One can get immersed in the beauty of the skies, seas and museums. The song is about finding yourself after being away from your soul. It is like a pun on duality that one cannot survive nor can be defined without the existence of the other, just like two sides of a coin.”
Mannequin Disorder are amongst the few artists in the pandemic who have a launch gig for Tongue & Cheek on November 22nd at an undisclosed location in Bengaluru. Mathew says they’ve been performing for livestreams on and off so they’re not out of touch per se, but they did go to jam rooms to test out their sound on bigger speakers. “We are ready to go and have a few more local gigs lined up in December,” the frontman says.
Up next, there’s a music video for “I Love My Dancing” featuring their on-stage collaborators – flow/poi artists Smriti Singh and Tushal Kamaraj – plus more material. “There is a lot of work going on at the moment. We are not only doing the EP and shuffling our songs, but for our regulars, we are jamming on two new songs as well,” Mathew says.
Stream ‘Tongue & Cheek’ below. Mannequin Disorder perform with Carissa, Denoy and Himay on November 22nd. Get details here.
