Indie Artist Spotlight: Matt & Kim

Enter Matt & Kim, a dance/punk duo that has been together for about 6 years now after forming in 2004. Really all you need to know is that Matt is from Vermont, Kim is from Connecticut and they met in Brooklyn at a party while attending the Pratt Institute. Matt handles the vocals and keyboard while Kim handles the drums, creating an energetic, loud mix of synth, indie, pop, rock dance music. My description was probably so vague, that it's best you hear Matt's description of their sound in an interview with thenewgay.net:

"TNG: How would you describe your sound?
Matt: As far as having a short-description genre we figured that we fit into the category of dance punk. We try not to pigeon-hole ourselves. Some bands only play with the same types of bands, but we play with all different types of bands from hip-hop, to punk rock, to dj’s — we’ve even played with metal bands; any place that people want to get wild. We did a tour with Against Me & in contrast to them we seemed like the quintessential indie dance band. Now doing a tour with Cut Copy we seem kind of like a punk rock band. -Source"

To get a glimpse of their personality, check out the interview below from 2007 at South by Southwest where they talk about how the concept of SXSW is like cramming fun down your throat.

To me it's just cool to see an artist, or in this case a group, be that visibly ecstatic about performing multiple times a day and genuinely seeing it as more of a fun opportunity than a burden. They just seem like two happy people who love making interesting, boundless music that refuses to be normal enough to be keyholed into a genre or category. And as "Indie" as their music may sound, it's starting to get the attention of a lot of people...and when I say a lot of people I mean Hip Hop in general, starting with @kanyewest. And what is Kanye most known for and takes most pride in musically? Being a maestro when it comes to laying down drums. So when he was gushing about the drums on a Matt & Kim track, it's worthy of note. Read below:

Give a look and listen to the song titled Daylight that Kanye was gushing about from their album titled Grand released Jan 2009.

Matt & Kim - Daylight
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I can't really disagree with Kanye's assertion that the drums are sick, they remind me of a lot of Neptunes (now N.E.R.D.) produced stuff back in the day (like this one). That song went a long way to get them on the map and as a result, their new upcoming album Sidewalks, due out November 2nd, should be more widely received and acclaimed.

As icing on the cake, it was announced this week that one of my favorite up and coming Hip Hop artists, Donnis is going on tour with them for a few dates in October. He called them "the king and queen of hipster music" when asked to comment about the tour. If you are looking to see them, @donnisxdonnis will be on tour with them from Oct 14 through Oct 31.

Below is their new single titled Cameras, which has every bit as much of an awe inspiring drum loop to go with the jumpy, rhythmic synth (especially from the 2:20-2:45 mark). I was a big fan of Daylight but I'm even more of a fan of Cameras, where Matt's vocals are increasingly more harmonic than on previous tracks I've listened to. To me it sounds like they're taking a step up in overall song quality that will do nothing but increase their likability and fan base. You be the judge and keep an eye out for @mattandkim's new album Sidewalks out early November...

Matt & Kim - Cameras
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