Although New York-based artist Mimo raps a lot on her EP Mars Took Over, she also sings – and can really sing! – jazzy in many places. This is one energetic, inviting collection of music.
The five-track release opens with a rap titled, appropriately, “An Introduction.” This opener finds Mimo, whose real name is Miryam Magri, rapping really fast as she talks about herself. It also includes TV or movie spoken word clips along the way.
Watch "An Introduction" music video here:
Next up, “Sunflower Head,” is more of an R&B groove, featuring clipped percussion, keyboard and vibes accompaniment. Although he also gives this one a rap-like vocal, it’s quite a melodic one, to boot. She just fits a whole lot more words into the piece than an R&B song might have done. “So Far So Good,” with its hopeful title, slows down the pace significantly and starts off with Mimo scatting a bit. She then sings it with a Billie Holiday-esque quiver in her voice. Her voice also has a languid tone on it. The scatting that introduced the tune also returns later on during the track. She sings, “Something’s not right with you/Something’s not right with me,” so the track’s positive title may not actually be attached to a positive lyric. “Funghi” is another relatively slow one. One hears guitar and out-front percussion driving it. Mimo layers her own, sweet vocals in places, as well. The project closes with “Void Of Course,” which features some old school scratching at the start. She sounds to be happy about the happy life of an ex, or at least that’s what it seems to be about. There’s some unique instrumentation (or instrument replication) going on during the piece. One hears harp and flute sounds running through the recording.
Mimo is Montreal-born, even though she now calls New York home. Her voice, however, sometimes sounds a little British when she’s singing. (Not sure if this is intentional or not). She’s also a trained violinist and spent time during her youth singing in choirs. Furthermore, she’s a dancer and actor. In fact, she was a featured singer and actor in Annick Lefebvre’s Cheap Hugs, where she was nominated for Best Singing Act at the 2018 Winterfest. She’s already released a few EPs, singles and an album, previously, so she’s quite the experienced artist. She describes her music as incorporating “lo-fi vibes, flowing poetry and neo-soul.” Another label for it might also be alternative R&B.
It's not clear where the title, Mars Took Over, fits. However, with how crazy the world has been the last couple of years, an alien abduction and take over of our planet is about as good of an explanation as any. These have been extremely weird days, indeed. Mimo is a bright, soulful talent, and Mars Took Over is a treat for the ears, from the first track through to the fifth. She loves her old soul and R&B records, it’s obvious, but she is also a smart, well-informed modern woman, and her music reflects her joy in life and love of language. Mars may not have taken over, nor might it ever do so, but Mimo’s music can take over the turntable any time it likes.
Pre-save EP here:
Bandcamp pre-order:
https://tinyurl.com/uwx6yu3d
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https://tinyurl.com/2p88jpjp
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-Dan MacIntosh