Mihi Nihil make a wish in their darkly beautiful new video for the wistful single Falling Star — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
The fourth and final preview from the band’s upcoming self-titled debut album, Falling Star takes a deep dive into Mihi Nihil’s delicious, decadent sound. As the woozy ’50s-style waltz slowly and seductively unfurls, singer Mihi Vox’s soulful yearning flirts with the throbbing, low-slung twang of guitarist Benjamin Montoya’s menacing fretwork. Imagine the last dance at a sock hop in a David Lynch film and you’ll be right at home.
Mihi Nihil (Mee-Kee Nee-Keel) sounds like a university’s Latin motto, but it was actually Mihi Vox’s nickname in college. Now a band motto, the name represents the group’s approach to life and music as they write songs together, staying open not only to each other but to the music. Their record, written and performed by all four in one room, fully encompasses the collaborative essence of Mihi Nihil, whose sound is rooted in post-punk pulling from a kaleidoscope of influences revolving around early Radiohead, The Clash, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus and The Pixies. Like a rock formation with different colored layers, the music encompasses a myriad of subtle tints and bold textures. Built around the all-embracing vocals paired with a tectonic swirl of guitars that drives the emotion, it’s all held together by the instinctive and dangerous charge/subtle danger of bassist Nick Steinberg and drummer Adam Alt. Together they have created a nine-song LP that is grounded in earthiness and redolent with nostalgia.
Veteran indie producer Adam Lasus (Yo La Tengo, Helium, Madder Rose) captured the band’s live performance to tape, revealing an album imbued with a timeless, lush and layered sound. Recorded without a click track the record naturally expands and contracts, pushes and pulls, moving with ease. From the heart-splitting vibe of Falling Star to manic playful punk bursts that feel like they could have been recorded in 1977, to cinematic echoes of Ennio Morricone and much, much more, Mihi Nihil’s music feels at once mysterious and familiar, like a fog curling heavily and dankly around the listener only to be cut through by rays from the sun.
Watch the Stephen Gregory-directed video for Falling Star above, hear more from Mihi Nihil below, and find them at their website, Facebook and Instagram.
