MTNS (pronounced mountains) are an electro folk trio whose chart-topping first single has roused the electronic scene.
Released just weeks ago, the captivating tranquillity that is MTNS' latest single, 'Lost Track of Time', reaped 20,000 plays on Soundcloud, reached number one on taste-maker chart Indie Shuffle's ‘Most Popular’ list, and was third most popular post on US music news site Earmilk.
An impressive start to the trio of Tom Eggert (vocals/ guitar), Joseph Thiang (drums) and Robbie Hellberg (keys).
“Last year I went on tour, filling in with one of my friend's bands,” Joseph says. “The keyboardist knew Tom, who was looking for a drummer. So that's how I met Tom. Robbie came on board probably five months ago. He's been a pretty good friend of mine for a while now and we needed a keyboardist who could make some epic music.”
The single's expansive mix of tones, beats, lyrics and textures reflects the complex soundscapes featured on MTNS' soon-to-be-released EP.
“We all like listening to all different types of music … and we all stemmed from acoustic instruments. But at the moment, electro's what we're exploring and people seem to like it. It's really fun to try to jam out live as well. We play live because we don't want to be a band that sits behind a DJ desk.”
But while experimentation is the force behind MTNS' distinctive sound, their music radiates expert cohesion.
“Robbie and I are very instrument-specific. Well get together and jam a few things, then put it all out there in a collaborative effort and flavour. We all give each other a lot of feedback.”
Complementing 'Lost Track Of Time' is a music video, alluring in its simplicity.
“It's funny how it all happened. Tom's friend Teresa went to New Zealand with a bunch of friends and she had all these great shots of all the scenery and friends hanging out. We got together with her and created this video. It turned out pretty good.”
MTNS play Bigsound at Oh Hello Wednesday September 11. They also support Pigeon at Oh Hello Aug 30 as well as Beach Hotel, Byron, Sept 20.
