Nashville raised, LA-based duo mai.la have delivered an unforgettable EP, blush released under ODESZA’s Foreign Family Collective record label. The two artists, Cait Cole and Katie Moore, have pulled influences from all corners of experimental pop and electronic music to bring us a truly eclectic yet coherent project.
Their opening track and single “maybe ୧(ಠ益ಠ)୨” is instantly captivating; a hard groove with an open and close production style, heavy bases and infectious hook. The track leads brilliantly into “is that what you want?” a thoughtful and passionate piece, backed by a driving beat. By the time the track fades away you’re interest is piqued and you’re committed to the rest of the EP. As strong as the EP starts, we’re soon carried into more thoughtful and introspective moments, particularly seen in the track, “SNDR.demo”.
Since moving to LA, the two have been able to connect and co-create with producers Jordan Reyes and Aron Harmon (Blackbear, KYLE, Jamie Lidell). In 2018 they were approached by Harrison of ODESZA when he heard their viral track “Ready” on Soundcloud.
“He (and the whole FFC team) offered to help us in any way they could,” said mai.la. “The excitement in their voices about a group of songs we hadn’t shown anyone, but had been working on for a long time, was proof enough that they truly love and connect with the music they consume. We respect everything they’re about, it’s rare to find real people out there.”
“blush is our time capsule. We made each of these tracks at such a specific time of our lives. There is no doubt that in 30 years, were going to listen to this EP and be transported to Tennessee roads and cicada songs. We’re going to remember the laughter, and the tears, the stress and the hugs. We’re going to remember 12 hour jam sessions and staying up until the sun rises, sleeping until 3pm, then doing it again. We weren’t thinking about putting it out, or where we’d be when we did, or how we’d feel about these songs. We weren’t thinking at all. It manifested, and now it’s here, and we will always be grateful for that. We hope that by listening, you get to see a little peek of that too.” – mai.la
The avant garde style of the EP is reflected not only in the music, but in the titles of the tracks themselves. From being formatted in all lower case letters, unique characters, and simply a file name. mai.la does an excellent job of keeping their vocals easy on the ears, delicate and captivating, complementing the incredibly unique production style. You can listen to blush now, below. Enjoy!