The Manic Boys and Girls Club have an appetite for self-destruction on their intoxicating debut single and video Blacked Out — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
“Blacked Out is a cry for help disguised as an upbeat dance floor banger,” co-founding siblings Bela and Fernando Ferrieira explain. “We’re lost, overmedicated, depressed and hiding behind bathroom selfies, late nights, and lip gloss.
“Raised strict Catholics, children of immigrant parents, and sent away to live in rural Portugal with their grandmother — who had previously been a nun — The Manic Boys and Girls Club is more than a band,” they say. “It is an escape from the submissive existence that was reality, an escape from the disposable music packaged for the masses, and an escape for any misfit looking to join the club.”
Fittingly, the pair are equal partners in the group: Bela’s haunting vocals are balanced by Fernando’s savoury harmonies and guitar work. Their shared talent snagged the attention of producer Gavin Brown (Billy Talent, Mother Mother), who produced their upcoming EP. “We are pretty stubborn and very opinionated when we work, so the fact that an award-winning producer like Gavin Brown put up with us, and actually saw eye to eye with us on various ideas, feels like a miracle,” the duo explain.
The result is a collection of five songs recounting the two loners’ time touring in a van, as well as relationships, and bad habits. “Every song starts with a lyric and a melody,” they say. “No matter how it is produced, every one of our songs can be a lullaby. When we play as a duo, our music is heard as it was initially written.”
For Bela and Fernando, the essence of songwriting comes from growth in the studio. Eternally tweaking, ever adjusting, the songs they bring to the recording session can continue to shapeshift and morph entirely. “The two of us have always agreed that a song is never finished,” they say. “You just choose to stop and record it at a certain point. So as we play music, perform, whatever … We continue the development of these songs. Everything keeps growing. A song we recorded months ago may continue to evolve in our rehearsal room, and be performed now sounding pretty different.
“The obvious limitations of an indie band create a demand for higher creativity in everything we produce,” they continue. “There is nothing to hide behind. Our ideas have to translate in their simplest, low-budget form. Everyone involved is there because they believe in what we are creating. There is a sense of ‘nothing to lose’ when you are an indie band. So, we kind of go for whatever we feel even if an idea seems crazy when we say it out loud.”
Watch Blacked Out above, listen to the track below, and join The Manic Boys and Girls Club at their website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
