Prepare to have your eyes opened, your soul freed and your brain enlightened as Texas-based MNYNMS (Many Names) arrive with original single Oracle to guide us on a journey of spiritual discovery through incredibly lush pop music. You may be thinking “that’s not for me” but realistically, why would anyone reject enlightenment and knowledge? Unlock your minds, fools.
MNYNMS will take many forms to lull you onto a path of knowledge and enlightenment as they combine spiritual energy with magnetic synth pop
MNYNMS are a collaboration between Jessica Wahlquist, Lacey Youngblood and J. Childs, formed in 2015. This year will see the release of their first EP Rite of Passage and if this single is anything to go by, we can expect some special sounds from them.
Oracle comes accompanied with the group’s first video that is haunting and beautiful without being creepy or foreboding. This is some premiere. Oracle is as deep a song as you will hear, positively dripping with ethereal energy, emotion, and atmosphere. I was immediately engulfed by the dark synth-pop sound MNYNMS employ in the track. Dense and highly textured, Oracle uses some truly artful production and breathy echoed vocals to build towards a chorus that is spine-tingling. As we hear, “Some things are destined to last forever although they momentarily end,” we hit instant euphoria as a wave of sublimity washes over us while the track peaks.
Apparently this is exactly what the band were hoping for, saying these attributes are a signature of their work: “Lyrically, the structure of our songs are based off of emotion incorporating melodies that reflect depth, organically drawn to fruition. With Oracle, we collaborated these aspects and designed them to resound and compliment the air of beginning.” Technically speaking, it is the beginning, but musically, it sounds like MNYNMS have already perfected their craft, with production that’s smoother than custard and vocals that invoke dream-like stasis.
“We create what resonates within ourselves and place it externally into the world in an artistic fashion to display awareness and perpetuate enlightenment.” say the band of their songwriting process. This approach is extended into the video for Oracle. Starkly beautiful with a drained-out colour scheme so as to appear almost black and white, you won’t be cracking any smiles watching this but you will be quizzical and you may be hypnotized. Slow-motion, blurring, time reversing, smoke, mirrors and elaborate costuming are all used to array the senses of the audience. I’m not going to try to explain the clip and I don’t think I’m supposed to.
The hope of MNYNMS is that individuals will perceive and internalize as they please, stating; “The essence of Oracle revolves around transcendence and illumination. We have paired the visual aesthetic of mysticism with our lyricism and production to cohesively portray [a] narrative drenched in subliminal undertones that are meant to evoke deep emotion, knowledge, and thought.”
I can say they certainly achieve what they were endeavouring to do. While watching I tend to become a little slack-jawed as my mind retreats inward to contemplate itself. It’s a major instance where sound and visual combine to make something greater than either would be on their own. The effect of getting this right is powerful, and MNYNMS are just that. They seem intensely dedicated too, with vocalist Jessica saying “Sound and lyricism are the pinnacles of my endeavours. I also love beautiful artistry that takes shape in the form of visual representation, fashion, and many other facets.”
With this kind of start, MNYNMS have certainly hit the ground running on their mission to spread important messages to the external world. The next twelve months promise to be exciting, with their debut EP Rite of Passage due out in the latter half of 2016. Keep your eyes and ears peeled.
Oracle is out March 4th through Sound Control Records.
