After much hype, MS MR have finally released their debut album Secondhand Rupture this week. It follows the feature of their best-known song, ‘Bones’, on the Game of Thrones series three trailer, which saw anticipation of the full album release. To those who waited, the album does not disappoint.
The band is made up of the talented duo Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow, who employ plenty of synths as well as haunting vocals in a mix of genres to create the unique, captivating and fresh sound of their 12-track album. The album stands out with its mixture of dark undertones and mature lyrics, which are both catchy and appealing to listeners of pop as well as alternative music. This is perhaps best displayed in the album’s first track, ‘Hurricane’, which stands out as one of the best songs on their debut. The song epitomises the band due to the cool combination of both the drums, strings and synthesisers along with front woman Lizzy’s vocal range, and as such is a fitting welcome into the album.
‘Ash Tree Lane’, one of their more uplifting songs, is also one of the best tracks on the album. It is not surprising that both songs, along with three others (‘Bones’, ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Dark Doo Wop’) featured on the band’s first EP, Candy Bar Creep Show. Arguably, five new songs should have featured on their debut but as these are some of the best songs on the album, we can forgive them.
A blip on an otherwise great album comes with ‘This Isn’t Control’: it lacks lyrical complexity and is repetitive to the point of dullness. It’s a song that does not showcase MS MR’s true lyrical skill and Max’s talents with instrumentals. ‘Head is Not My Home’, however, is one of the best of the “new” songs on the debut. The drum rhythm has tribal elements, which showcases the ease in which MS MR can combine different genres to create their unique sound.
Having proclaimed themselves as a band “of this generation”, MS MR has been relatively successful in showing this through their music, with its resonant lyrics and heavy vocal comparisons between Lana Del Rey and Florence and the Machine. This album is one of the highlights of the many recent releases; MS MR is a band to watch.
7/10