The Stars Align For MRCH

by | Jun 30, 2023

After playing shows with the likes of CHVRCHES and Foster The People, Phoenix-hailing alternative duo MRCH today get a new era underway as they share the new single Stars Align. The track previews their upcoming EP TV Bliss which follows in the autumn and represents their first release under a new deal with The Vertex.

MRCH (David Blakeman)

MRCH (David Blakeman)
MRCH (David Blakeman)

Operating at the convergence between driving, dynamic alt-rock and sleek synth-pop, Stars Align is capped by the star quality of vocalist/guitarist Mickey Pangburn’s voice, which takes it to another level. It’s at once joyful, escapist and cathartic, but with a simmering dark undercurrent that provides an edgy, unsettling tone.

Pangburn says: “You can’t control much more than how you respond to a situation. A lesson I’ve been learning. Stars Align is about still regaining a sense of agency in the midst of it all and not awaiting rescue”.

Stars Align is accompanied by its official video, which was directed by Mickey. Assembled via many long hours of meticulous green screening, it’s a performance video with an unusual artificial-meets-realistic aesthetic which feels like the surreal textures of Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep filtered through the fractured fuzz of ‘90s cable television. Check out the video below:

For the TV Bliss EP, Mickey and bandmate Jesse Pangburn (drums / production) embraced in-depth collaboration for the first time. Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins offered support and feedback to Mickey. The project was further developed with mixing courtesy of the Grammy-nominated Tony Hoffer (Depeche Mode, Metric, Chromeo) before being mastered by Dave Cooley (Wolf Alice, Tame Impala, Paramore).

The themes and wider aesthetic throughout the EP was inspired by Pangburn’s childhood passion for television. And just as she discovered new artists via syncs in Dawson’s Creek and Gilmore Girls, MRCH have themselves become soundtrack regulars in the streaming age with their songs featuring in Shameless, Guilt, The Vampire Diaries, Famous In Love, Search Party, 13 Reasons Why and The Twilight Zone.

As she explains, “TV Bliss is documentary deja vu. I grew up in Bagdad, Arizona. It’s a copper mine that even in its boomtown heyday was never home to more than three thousand people. Daytime reruns and ‘90s made-for-TV-movies were my escapism. They were a portal to the outside world, where things weren’t necessarily any better, but they were beautiful – imperfectly cinematic. When I started writing music, it matched these aesthetics, grainy, unpolished, but still vivid and romantic. It really wasn’t until the last couple years, dealing with the pandemic and then with back to back health scares with my parents, that I found myself revisiting that escapism – stepping back through the silver screen.”

Drawing upon influences such as Cocteau Twins, New Order, Metric, Phantogram, St. Vincent, Purity Ring and Beach House, MRCH have until now been an entirely independent band. It was that entrepreneurial spirit which led to them being discovered by The Vertex, after Mickey contacted the label’s co-founder Stephen Taverner in the hope of landing a support slot to London-based rockers Wolf Alice, who he manages. As that deal begins to open up new opportunities for MRCH, the duo’s music steps forward in tandem into the unknown, more accomplished, intense and emotionally engaging than ever before.

Pre-save/pre-order TV Bliss EP HERE.

Royal Blood Blow Eardrums For Glastonbury 2023 Pyramid Stage Set

Jeff Lynne Cancels Final ELO Show At BST Hyde Park 2025 Following Illness

In a heartbreaking development for fans, Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) have cancelled what was set to be their final ever UK performance at BST Hyde Park on Sunday 13 July 2025. The decision follows Lynne’s continued ill health and comes just days after the group’s second show at Manchester’s Co-op Live on 10th July was pulled moments before showtime, after the venue had already filled with fans. Lynne, 77, has been battling a systemic infection and is now under close medical supervision.

Olivia Dean @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Olivia Dean Warms A Damp Hyde Park With Soulful Resilience At BST Hyde Park 2025

Though clouds still loomed and the ground remained squelchy underfoot, Olivia Dean brought a welcome calm and undeniable warmth to BST Hyde Park’s Great Oak Stage on Sunday afternoon. Following a weather-disrupted opening set by Amber Mark — whose performance was cut short by a torrential downpour — Dean arrived as the skies cleared, bringing poise, polish, and powerful vocals to a crowd that refused to let a bit of British summer rain dampen their spirits.

Clairo @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Clairo Brings Soft Focus And Dreamy Intimacy To The Great Oak Stage At BST Hyde Park 2025

In the golden lull between a dramatic afternoon downpour and Sabrina Carpenter’s headline pop spectacle, Clairo turned London’s Great Oak Stage into a sanctuary of softness and reflection. Her early evening performance at BST Hyde Park on Sunday 6th July offered a tender contrast to the festival’s typically high-energy crescendo, inviting the crowd into a quieter, more introspective space.

Jessie Murph (Press)

Jessie Murph Announces Bold New Album ‘Sex Hysteria’, Shares Vulnerable New Single ‘Bad As The Rest’

Boundary-breaking rising star Jessie Murph has unveiled her latest single Bad As The Rest, offering a raw and emotionally charged glimpse into her upcoming sophomore album Sex Hysteria, due out on 18th July via Columbia Records.

The Jacques (Nick Sayers)

The Jacques Announce Riotous New Single ‘All The Other Sinners’ Ahead of Second Album ‘Make Repetition!’

London/Bristol alt-rock trio The Jacques are ramping up momentum ahead of their second album Make Repetition! with the release of their blistering new single All The Other Sinners — a searing, melody-drenched slice of chaos and catharsis out now.

Cam @ The Tabernacle (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Cam Captivates London With A Night Of Raw Vocals And Real Stories At The Tabernacle

In a sweltering Tabernacle, a somehow both vast and intimate venue, a sweat-soaked audience filled every seat for...
J.Fla (Press)

J.Fla Redefines Herself With Empowering New Single ‘Stellar Paradox’

South Korean singer-songwriter and YouTube sensation J.Fla has taken a giant leap into the cosmos with her newest release, Stellar Paradox, marking the start of a bold new chapter in her musical journey. Known to millions for her viral YouTube covers, J.Fla now turns the spotlight firmly onto her own voice with a genre-blending, emotionally charged original that paves the way for her highly anticipated upcoming EP, due in late summer 2025.

Chloe Qisha @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Chloe Qisha Closes The Rainbow Stage In Style At BST Hyde Park 2025

After a tempestuous afternoon that saw Hyde Park lashed by torrential rain and set times thrown into flux, it was Chloe Qisha who restored the calm — and then brought the fire — as she closed the Rainbow Stage on Sunday evening with a confident, emotionally astute set that proved worth the wait.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing