M+A & SPANK ROCK – NINJA

This time last year Italian duo M+A were handpicked by Michael and Emily Eavis as the winners of their annual Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition, beating 2000 entrants in the process. After releasing their debut full length ‘These Days’ on Monotreme Records in September, the pair were chosen to showcase their unique sound with a trio of performances on Worthy Farm’s West Holts Stage alongside M.I.A, Discolsure and Goldfrapp. Fast forward a year and Alessandro Degli Angioli and Michele Ducci are back with 4 brand new tracks that make up their ‘Anyway Milkyway’ EP, combining sunny dance pop and laid back electronic beats with a soulful twist. Think of a young Beck channelling Phoenix at a carnival organised by Friendly Fires, and you’re not far off. The EP was released on April 20th and features hyped Berlin based singer DENA and alt-rap pioneer Spank Rock, as featured on the video.

The band grew up on the Adriatic coast of Italy where, seemingly endless summers transform into long, lingering winters, and the schizophrenic nature of the weather certainly influences their sound. After meeting through mutual friends, they immediately formed M+A and began writing, often from different locations while Alessandro studied in Norway. Their brilliant debut full-length ‘These Days’ showcased their unique ability to transcend traditional boundaries, with Michele’s heartfelt musings combining with Alessandro’s delicate instrumentation, effortlessly blending electronic sounds with elements of disco, jazz, Italo-disco and RnB. The lyrics are often improvised, close to glossolalia, wanting to be heard, but necessarily deciphered.

M+A’s sophisticated approach to melody and lyricism hasn’t gone unnoticed and their live show has gone from strength to strength, opening for the likes of MGMT, Mount Kimbie, Panda Bear and Sohn in Italy last year.