Ju ne, 2017 RollingStoneAus.com | Rolling Stone | 49
SOUNDS LIKE:Skeletal EDM beats,
swirling vocals and no shortage of
pop smarts
FOR FANS OF: Kiiara, Banks,
Sylvan Esso
WHY YOU SHOULD PAY ATTEN-
TION: In January, Apple debuted
its new ad for the wireless-hea-
dphone line AirPods, which
featured the duo’s track “Down”
soundtracking the gravity-defying
moves of Los Angeles-based
dancer Lil Buck. The eye-popping
black-and-white clip’s synthesis
of hypnotic visuals and dreamy
music helped Marian Hill top the
chart on Shazam, the “What’s-tha-
t-song?” app that identifi es tunes
for curious listeners. Jeremy Lloyd
and Samantha Gongol have known
each other since their youth outsi-
de of Philadelphia. After heading
their separate ways for college
they decided to collaborate, dub-
bing their project Marian Hill after
the two main characters from The
Music Man. (They both appeared
in a production of the play during
middle school.) Lloyd (production)
and Gongol (vocals) released their
debut, Act One, last June, which
matches ideas borrowed from jazz
and blues with of-the-moment
electronics and Gongol’s gossamer
voice.
THEY SAY: “I actually saw the
[Apple] commercial for the fi rst
time with my parents in a hotel
room after we played Fallon,”
recalls Gongol. “That was really,
really cool. It’s just so beautiful. We
couldn’t have asked for a better
sync – they nailed our aesthetic.”
“Being the Number One Shazam
song in America, that’s a serious
triumph,” adds Lloyd. “That’s what
you want people to feel when they
hear your music for the fi rst time:
‘What is it? I need to know what it
is so I can hear it again.’”
HEAR FOR YOURSELF: “Down”
showcases Gongol’s smoke-plume
voice over a stark background
before blossoming into beat-heavy
verses. MAURA JOHNSTONMarian
Hill