MGMT

MGMT didn’t plan to be taken seriously at first, but it still managed to reinvent psychedelia for the 21st century. As puckish art students at Connecticut’s Wesleyan University, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser joined forces in 2002 as The Management, writing and performing playful synth-rock punctuated with sardonic barbs. Still, there was some serious bite to the hooks and sense of melody that would soon be transformed into the thrilling electro-psych-pop anthems of the 2007 debut as MGMT, Oracular Spectacular. With the help of producer Dave Fridmann, the pair crafted one of the decade’s most influential indie records, full of frisky dance beats soaked in woozy synths and fuzzy distortion, and lyrics that overturn rock cliches and idyllic visions of youth. “Time to Pretend,” “Electric Feel,” and “Kids” became instant club hits. But instead of churning out more alt-dance bangers, MGMT began leaning heavily into its more esoteric influences, name-checking Brian Eno and Television Personalities’ Dan Treacy on Congratulations and crafting twisted psych-rock freakouts meant to stimulate the brain more than the body. “On our second and third records, we kind of turned inwards, and got a little paranoid, a little dark, maybe even cynical sometimes,” VanWyngarden confessed to Apple Music. But the journey would eventually come full circle, as MGMT returned to levity with 2018’s Little Dark Age, a set of brighter, New Wave-tinted grooves filtered through warped whimsy and wit. While the breakout title track flirted with playful goth stomping, deep cuts like “When You Die” and “Me and Michael” pointed to MGMT's growing interest in Britpop and power ballads. This thirst for pop grandeur came into focus on the band's 2024 LP Loss Of Life, the first since ending its major-label contract and returning to the indie hustle, though sacrificing none of its aural finesse. Singles “Mother Nature” and the Christine and the Queens-featuring “Dancing In Babylon” swing for ‘80s torch-song glory, injecting enough left-field beats and woozy synthesizers to keep fans grounded in the realm of eccentric faves. All of this proves that no matter where its path may lead, MGMT will always have the last laugh.