Disliking electronic music is understandable. I normally dodge remixes, circuit bending and Güther fans as if my life depended on it. For me it’s the idea that electronic music doesn’t typically translate well to a live show. Even if electronic music occasionally makes you simultaneously gag and scratch away at your semicircular canals, I recommend giving electro-pop band Matt and Kim a shot to see if they can win you over to the dark side.
Matt and Kim are a Brooklyn duo that has become a sensation since the release of their self-titled album in 2006. Chances are you’ve heard their tune “Daylight” at a party within the past few months or seen it in the Bacardi Mojito commercial.
The things that make them stand apart from other electronic party music are their laidback approach to making music and organic songwriting. Their electronics are less calculated and more attuned to playing off the crowd’s energy. For Matt and Kim, there’s no such thing as their music not translating to a live show — it was made for the stage. Not to mention that female drummers fall into their own category of badass.
After recording their first album in a studio, Matt and Kim decided to create their second album, titled Grand, at Matt’s parents’ house in Vermont in order to have more creative control.
Their videos are also more than mildly entertaining. The video for “Daylight” features the two playing their instruments in the most confined spaces possible (i.e. a refrigerator), and the video for “Lessons Learned” showcases a nearly nude Matt and Kim running around the streets of New York. Your typical electro-pop band this is not.
If their descriptions haven’t roped you into attending the show at Parkland on Sunday night, just take out your pocketbook to pay for a ticket — then put it back in your pocket, for you have no need for the green stuff. You can thank them after the show.