Album Review: MS MR - Secondhand Rapture
- Written by Carris Boast
The captivating sounds of Secondhand Rapture come from New York’s self proclaimed, Tumblr glitch pop band MS MR. Gloom and obscurity are hidden under layers of electronic production and dramatic fables. With the recent release of popular singles ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Fantasy’, MS MR are about to set off on a world tour setting sight for festivals such as Lovebox and the Reading / Leeds Festival.
The mention of the words love, bones and heart are frequent in Secondhand Rapture which can neatly be placed next to the images of hellish fire, graveyards and a distorted burial. Spoken utterances accompany haunting passages making each song sound that little bit less scary and that little bit more enchanting.
The most together track on this album is ‘Fantasy’. With an upbeat, angelic rhythm and idyllic lyrics it sees MS MR on top of their game as it’s propelled by a running beat until the chorus arrives like a summoning of the Mother god, in this gospel like mantra underpinned by mainstream pop tones.
“This world is going to burn” opens track ‘Dark Doo Wop’, showing the gothic undercurrent that flows like blood through the veins of this album. The song slowly builds and builds creating destruction-like noise – you can envisage MS MR standing over a decrepit city making this their call to arms.
A war cry fills ‘Head Is Not My Home’ as it scales the walls with electronic pulses and leaves the powerful voice of Lizzie Plapinger in a dramatic panic as she ‘oohs’ and ‘awhs’ her way through the rest of the song.
Disco infused ‘Think Of You’ is probably the most unrefined song on the album but still carries a likeable tune, something that MS MR manage consistently on Secondhand Rapture. The empowering chorus could be heard through the sweaty streets on a Saturday night, by a group of young females, as they sip on their vino mixers and drag from their cigarettes. The catchy chorus retells the message that this is pop music at its best and would do wonders if remixed by some scaly underground house DJ.
The album closes with ‘This Isn’t Control’ a slow opener that delves into chimes and strings until it reaches the recurring title that is closely followed by a small tribal like chant, which is a quiet way to end the album.
Secondhand Rapture tells dark stories through upbeat poppy melodies. Each track is different from the next, each taking a different beat and tone creating a whole new slant on electronic pop music. MS MR can’t be totally complacent yet but this is surely the start of something great for the duo.
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