MGMT
Biography
In the grand pantheon of bands who've managed to both confound and captivate in equal measure, MGMT occupy a singular position as the duo who accidentally became indie darlings while desperately trying to escape the very cage their success had built around them. Born from the collegiate corridors of Wesleyan University in Connecticut circa 2002, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser initially operated under the gloriously pretentious moniker The Management, crafting what they later described as deliberately commercial pop designed to satirise the music industry's obsession with manufactured hits.
Their early incarnation was a fascinating exercise in artistic contradiction – two philosophy students creating knowingly vapid dance-punk anthems while harbouring dreams of becoming experimental psych-rock auteurs. The irony, of course, was that their tongue-in-cheek approach to pop perfection would prove devastatingly effective, launching them into a stratosphere of success they neither expected nor particularly wanted.
The transformation from college project to global phenomenon began with their 2007 debut album "Oracular Spectacular," a record that stands as one of the most accidentally influential releases of the 2000s. Built around the twin pillars of "Electric Feel" and "Kids," the album presented a kaleidoscopic blend of psychedelic pop, new wave nostalgia, and electronic experimentation that felt both thoroughly modern and deliciously retro. "Time to Dance" completed the holy trinity of singles that would define not just MGMT's career trajectory but help establish the template for indie-electronic crossover success.
The success was meteoric and, for the band, somewhat mortifying. "Kids" became an inescapable cultural phenomenon, soundtracking everything from television adverts to festival singalongs, while "Electric Feel" earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. Suddenly, two introverted experimentalists found themselves poster boys for a movement they'd never intended to lead, playing their satirical pop songs to crowds who'd missed the joke entirely.
Their response was characteristically perverse. 2010's "Congratulations" saw them deliberately pivot away from the accessible pop that had made their name, diving headfirst into sprawling psychedelic compositions that prioritised artistic integrity over commercial appeal. The album, while critically acclaimed for its ambitious scope and lysergic beauty, left many casual fans bewildered. Tracks like the title song and "Flash Delirium" revealed a band more interested in channeling the Flaming Lips and early Pink Floyd than crafting the next "Electric Feel."
This pattern of commercial self-sabotage continued with 2013's eponymous third album, a deliberately challenging collection that found them collaborating with Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3 and further alienating anyone hoping for a return to their debut's immediacy. The record's dense, often abrasive soundscapes represented their most uncompromising statement yet, though gems like "Your Life Is a Lie" hinted at their enduring gift for melody beneath the experimental fog.
2018's "Little Dark Age" marked something of a reconciliation between their pop instincts and experimental impulses. The title track became their biggest hit in years, its synth-driven melancholy perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of late-2010s anxiety while proving they could still craft undeniable hooks when the mood struck. The album's blend of accessible songwriting and sonic adventurousness suggested a band finally comfortable with their contradictions.
Throughout their career, MGMT's influence has been both profound and peculiar. They helped pioneer the indie-electronic crossover that would dominate the late 2000s, inspiring countless bands to blend organic and synthetic elements. More significantly, they demonstrated that it was possible to achieve mainstream success while maintaining artistic integrity, even if that meant deliberately frustrating audience expectations.
Their visual aesthetic, developed in collaboration with directors like Ray Tintori and Tom Kuntz, has been equally influential, creating surreal, often disturbing imagery that perfectly complements their music's uncanny valley between pop and avant-garde. Videos for songs like "Electric Feel" and "When You Die" have become cultural touchstones in their own right.
Today, MGMT continue to operate on their own terms, releasing music sporadically and maintaining their reputation as one of indie rock's most unpredictable entities. They remain a band defined by their refusal to be defined, continuing to chase their muse wherever it leads, regardless of commercial considerations. In an industry obsessed with brand consistency, they've made inconsistency their brand, and somehow made it work.
