Mamalarky bring Hex Key to Manchester gig at Night and Day

Mamalarky are set to headline a Manchester gig at Night and Day. The tri-coastal indie quartet visit the city in support of Hex Key, their home-recorded third album released earlier this year.

Released in April via Epitaph, Hex Key is a detailed, genre-bending record that combines complex time signatures, obscure synths and vivid emotional honesty. The songs were shaped in the band’s Los Angeles home studio and reflect both personal vulnerability and sonic boldness.

Introducing Anhedonia, Livvy Bennett said, “’Anhedonia’ is a song about feeling god awful. I was going through a really deep depression and not knowing what to do other than isolate myself from everyone. I didn’t want to put this song out because of how much I associate it with pain and getting completely stuck in it. I’m glad it’s on the record now, though. The most defining times come after being at the bottom of the pit, every day passing the same. At some point you look up and anhedonia has gone and you’re more hopeful than before.”

On #1 Best of All Time, Bennett added, “Through a lot of games of UNO I’ve discovered I’m actually a pretty competitive person. And somehow, the feeling of losing has become highly motivating to me. I always feel like I’m competing against myself, trying to best my last attempt at whatever I’ve set out to do. Like, you probably can’t be the best of all time, but you’ll always be the best you of all time–no one can dispute that. I wanted to write something that felt powerful but funny, too, like laughing in the face of doubt. Cause betting on yourself even when you feel like a losing horse pays off in big ways! If you can make yourself feel like you’re winning right at the moment of failure and only measure yourself against your own barometers, you’re gonna be a lot happier.

When we recorded this, we asked Dylan to just play something ‘crazy’ on the drums and worked backwards from there. He powered through this insane performance and the song came together autonomously from there.”

The band’s DIY approach remains central to their creative process. “It’s never ‘kick your feet up, let’s see what happens,’” said Bennett. “We’re always staring each other deeply in the eyes saying ‘Let’s make this next take incredible.’ We never settle.”

Bassist Noor Khan added: “The worst thing you can say about a Mamalarky song is ‘This sounds like another song of yours.’”

Mamalarky are Livvy Bennett, Noor Khan, Michael Hunter and Dylan Hill. Their previous release Pocket Fantasy introduced their lo-fi sensibility, now expanded and sharpened on Hex Key.