Experimental alt-rockers Mihi Nihil deliver gripping new single »Moth« paired with psych-horror music video ahead of East Coast tour dates
Photo by Andrew Leggett
Los Angeles, California based alternative rockers Mihi Nihil deliver gripping new single »Moth« paired with psych-horror music video ahead of East Coast tour dates, statring today at The Fillmore in Philadelphia.
New single »Moth« is available now on all major streaming platforms!
Courtesy of Clarion Call Media:
With a gritty and arresting opening bass line that demands attention, experimental alt-rockers Mihi Nihil are ready to take listeners on an existential journey with their new single, »Moth«.
Before long, a thick sludge of electric guitar coats over the bass line and impending percussion, creating a dark, tight desert groove that never lets up. And when lead 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 like a moth to a flame.
“»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 [MOTH] steered the story in the song, which is about transformation.” Regarding the magnetic bass line that opens the track, 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 a leaves watchers magnetized.
The evocative new single follows the band’s well-received and soulfully mesmerizing 2023 single, »So Please«.
Stream »Moth« // Watch »Moth« music video
Photo by Adam Lasus
About Mihi Nihil:
Officially formed in 2020, Mihi Nihil (Mee-Kee Nee-Keel) offers a must-hear avant-garde style of alt-rock that few others possess. Aside from Vox and Steinberg, the band is also comprised of Benjamin Montoya (guitar) and Adam Alt (drums).
The band’s 2021 debut self-titled album has been lauded as “the living portrait of art rock” (Indie Rocks), “the most beautiful translation of melancholy to music” (Roadie Music), “cinematic tones full of grit” (American Pancake), and “street-poet post-punk” (Two Story Melody).
The album was produced by Adam Lasus (PJ Harvey, Yo La Tengo, Madder Rose), and has had select songs in recent major motion pictures, reached #1 on Amazon, #15 on iTunes and #18 on the NACC Most Added charts. The record received radio/publication support in over 17 countries and was included on the 2021 Grammy ballot under Best Alternative Music Album. Last year, the foursome traveled to SXSW for an official showcase, racking in a new swath of fans along the way with their emotive, experimental performances.
The band is slated for a run of East Coast shows supporting Nico Vega later this month with the following dates:
7/25 – The Fillmore, Philadelphia
7/26 – Racket, NYC
7/28 – Brighton Music Hall, Boston
7/30 – The Atlantis, Washington DC
Regarding the shows and what fans can expect, Vox states, “We will play a mix of songs that we have released and some new songs that haven’t come out yet, one of which is a cover song. If you are familiar with 90’s alt-rock deep cuts, you will know it when you hear it.”
Individually, the members of Mihi Nihil have been around the music scene for years, having toured with Iggy Pop and the Stooges and Jane’s Addiction, fronting shows at festivals/venues including Coachella, Warped Tour, and Carnegie Hall, and backing up artists like Neil Young, John Denver and Bruce Springsteen. With this unmatched experience and long-standing friendship comes impeccable chemistry, as displayed both in studio and in live performance.
Mihi Nihil’s unique experimental rock sound feels like youthful angst with a hearty dash of euphoric nostalgia, brushed with cinematic moments that are heavily influenced by composers like Ennio Morricone. Dripping with histrionics, their sound is familiar without being referential, feeling simultaneously mysterious and like home.
The name Mihi Nihil sounds like a University’s Latin motto, but it was actually the lead singer 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 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.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well