Latest Release
- 23 FEB 2024
- 10 Songs
- Little Dark Age · 2017
- Oracular Spectacular · 2007
- Oracular Spectacular · 2007
- Loss Of Life · 2023
- Little Dark Age · 2017
- Loss Of Life · 2024
- Loss Of Life · 2024
- Loss Of Life · 2024
- Loss Of Life · 2024
- Loss Of Life · 2023
Essential Albums
- Three years after their 2007 debut, MGMT subtly reinvent themselves. Congratulations still bursts with colour, but the antic edges have been sanded down—well, save for the garage-rock freak-out of “Brian Eno”, a hyperactive tribute to the ambient icon. “It’s Working” crisply revamps Phil Spector’s wall of sound; “Song for Dan Treacy” plays nimble cat-and-mouse with ‘60s organ and falsetto vocals. “Congratulations” wraps up with a wry take on the perils of stardom—the spiritual flip side to their debut’s fanciful “Time to Pretend”.
- MGMT’s full-length debut is a densely layered, proudly psychedelic delight. The songs are strong enough to stand up to the bold (mostly synthesised) aural choices made by producer Dave Fridmann (of Flaming Lips fame). Fridmann’s skillful touch, spot-on sequencing and a distinctive MGMT sparkle help tie together these stylistic adventures. This colourful debut is a dazzling trip through 40 years of psychedelic pop.
Albums
Artist Playlists
- A playful spirit runs through their perfect pop nuggets and unpredictable art rock.
Live Albums
- 2022
Compilations
Appears On
More To Hear
- Annie's selections for a man reconciling with his father.
- Matt sits down with Andrew VanWyngarden to discuss their new LP.
- New music from Calvin Harris, 2 Chainz, MGMT, and Kendrick Lamar.
- Considering MGMT's Oracular Spectacular.
About MGMT
MGMT didn’t plan to be taken seriously at first, but they 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 their hooks and a sense for melody that would soon be transformed into the thrilling electro-psych-pop anthems of their 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 their more esoteric influences, name-checking Brian Eno and Television Personalities’ Dan Treacy on Congratulations and crafting proggy, 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,” VanWyngarden confessed to Apple Music, “maybe even cynical sometimes.” But their journey would eventually come full circle, as they made a return to levity with 2018’s Little Dark Age, a set of brighter, New Wave-tinted grooves filtered through their warped whimsy and wit. All of which goes to prove that no matter where their path may lead, MGMT will always have the last laugh.
- ORIGIN
- Middletown, Connecticut, United States
- FORMED
- December 2002
- GENRE
- Alternative