Mihi Nihil undergo a disturbing existential metamorphosis with their darkly intense new single and creepy video Moth — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
With a gritty and arresting opening bassline that demands attention, the experimental L.A. alt-rockers kick off the transformative existential journey of their latest track. Before long, a thick sludge of electric guitar coats the bass and impending percussion, creating a dark, tight desert groove that never lets up. And when singer Mihi Vox’s vocals flutter in, it’s a wrap. Listeners are officially hypnotized and sucked into their world — or perhaps drawn into their sonic light.
“Moth was written live in one take while in our Culver City rehearsal space during the winter,” Vox says. “The music really designates the lyrics for the most part with all our songs. That word steered the story in the song, which is about transformation.” Read for yourself:
“It wakes from under this skin
Transforming from within
A fire, a light, it burns into the night
I wake from under this skin
It shakes from out of this mouth
Vibrates in me then echoing out
A fire inside transmutes this life
I wake from under this skin
I walk the realm of the dead
Ancient whispers in my head
With flashing eyes and fans outspread
I wake from under this skin
Moth.”
Bassist Nick Steinberg states, “I remember thinking that I wanted to play something higher up on the neck, something similar to The Buzzcocks, but what ended up coming out was more angular and stark like Gang of Four.”
The vivid, textural, and eerie music video looks like something you might see in a Beetlejuice movie. Camera-quaking scenes of the band members individually painted and/or muddied heads poke up out of an apocalyptic-like diorama, interspersed with zoomed-in snippets of moth wings and snake skin, signifying a dramatic “transformation.” It’s intense, gripping, and leaves watchers magnetized.
Officially formed in 2020, Mihi Nihil (say Mee-Kee Nee-Keel) offer a must-hear avant-garde style of alt-rock that few possess. Aside from Vox and Steinberg, the band features Benjamin Montoya (guitar) and Adam Alt (drums). Their self-titled 2021 debut was produced by Adam Lasus (PJ Harvey, Yo La Tengo). It hit No. 1 on Amazon, No. 15 on iTunes and No. 18 on the NACC Most Added charts. The record received support in 17 countries and was included on the 2021 Grammy ballot under Best Alternative Album. Last year, the foursome traveled to SXSW, racking in a new swath of fans with their emotive, experimental performances.
Individually, the members of Mihi Nihil have been around the music scene for years, having toured with The Stooges and Jane’s Addiction, performing at Coachella, Warped Tour and Carnegie Hall, and backing up artists like Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. With this experience and long-standing friendship comes impeccable chemistry, as displayed both in studio and live.
Mihi Nihil’s sound feels like youthful angst with a hearty dash of euphoric nostalgia, brushed with cinematic moments heavily influenced by composers like Ennio Morricone. Dripping with histrionics, their sound is familiar without being referential, feeling simultaneously mysterious and like home. Their name sounds like a University’s Latin motto, but it was actually Vox’s nickname in college. Now a band motto, it represents the group’s approach to life and music as they write songs together in one room, staying open not only to each other, but to the music. The band’s ‘everyone is present’ writing method is apparent when listening to their music.
Watch Moth above, hear more from Mihi Nihil below, and catch them on their website, Instagram and Facebook.
