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"Seven Wives" Builds On the Synth-Pop Blueprint of My Body's Full-Length Debut

The twosome plays crisp electro-pop bolstered by expansive synthesizer tinkering, looming beats and a few arcade-like samples.

By Mark Stock

My Body, Seven Wives (Bug Hunt)

[SYNTH POP] Musical duos tend to operate with a tightness that's often lost on acts with larger membership. The creative pop outfit My Body is a perfect example. Comprising Jordan Bagnall and Darren Bridenbeck, the twosome plays crisp electro-pop bolstered by expansive synthesizer tinkering, looming beats and a few arcade-like samples, and newest EP Seven Wives builds atop the strong blueprint of My Body's debut. "Half a Heart to Holler" is an emotive banger one can easily imagine the girl from Sia's videos fanatically dancing to. Meanwhile, "Mood" offers the danceable call-and-response of Sylvan Esso, with the addition of an incredibly catchy marimba hook and some astral filler. At times, the EP is cool and airy, the product of a restraint not often seen in synth pop, yet the melodies and effects all sit backseat to Bagnall's quavering, modulating vocals. Her voice is sometimes operatic, other times hushed to lullaby levels, but always warbling and attracting everything in the room into its orbit. Set to the band's thoughtful, stripped-down score, it becomes all the more bewitching.

SEE IT: My Body plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Blossom, on Friday, Jan. 27. 9 pm. $5. 21+.

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