NYC-based art-pop duo mmeadows — made up of current Dirty Projectors member Kristin Slippand Beyoncé, Lorde, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Laurie Anderson and more collaborator Cole Kamen-Green — announced their highly anticipated debut album Light Moves Around You, out February 3, 2023. In tandem with the announcement, they’ve also shared their newest single + video, “By Design,” presenting an observant, elemental tone that runs across the record. Against the backdrop of a horn-laced beat, Slipp sings of shorelines, greenways, and the secrets that nature holds, longing for human touch in the age of automation. “The world we live in is built for convenience and comfort, flashy, slick and hypnotic. Whether purposeful or as an unfortunate byproduct, person-to-person connection is in perpetual obfuscation,” Slipp explains. “I feel like I’m constantly fumbling around in search of a human touch, and when I find it, all I want to do is grab hold and hang on tight. ‘By Design’ is an exploration of relationships in an ever-automating world, and writing it helped me sniff out my most basic desire – to care and be cared for.”

Explaining the connection between the song and its video, director Haoyan of America says, “When Kristin and Cole mentioned to me about them living near Times Square, I thought it might make for a captivating location with so much going on and surprises around every corner. On our filming day, we stumbled upon a Diwali celebration that was so loud, we had difficulty hearing playback. During one take, a motorcyclist wiped out right next to us and we had to wait for a curious mob to clear to finish our shot. At another location, our wonderful PA Anne Chang serendipitously ran into friends who were running an art gallery inside of our subway entrance filming location. The chaos can be overwhelming at times, but the chaos can also be enthralling.”

For Slipp and Kamen-Green, mmeadows is a means of survival, an outlet to anchor themselves from the currents of life. “Kristin and I speak different ‘technical’ musical languages. But we are completely aligned in what we hear sonically and emotionally,” says Kamen-Green. “We rarely disagree on the direction of a song,”adds Slipp. Fluid and rhythmic, organic and electronic, their singular alt-pop songcraft is the synthesis of complementary talents, mutual trust, and years of partnership. Light Moves Around You reflects this connection; a dynamic and deeply-honed collection of pop songs that silence chaos and celebrate the tender acts of making space and taking care as heard on previously released singles include “Baby-By,” “Light Moves Around You,” and “You Should Know By Now.” 
 
Following the release of their debut EP Who Do You Think You Are? (2020), where mmeadows sequenced a run of exploratory singles, their approach with their new album is more intentional. The duo found purpose, nexus, and peace in the creation of the tracks, and the result is a cohesive body of work that unfurls and grooves from the same time and space. In mmeadows, vocal-focused pop songwriting is the heartbeat of the band, enriched by their liberal usage of found sounds and esoteric vintage instruments, like Kamen-Green’s EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), in their productions and performances.

Photo Courtesy: Alex Munro