Marci's 'Mask Lady and Late Night Girl' Is a Synth-Pop Record With Two People Living In It
Marci is Marta Cikojevic, of Montreal by way of the TOPS orbit, and Mask Lady and Late Night Girl — her second album, out August 28th on Arbutus Records — is built around two people. One is the “late-night girl,” which is Cikojevic herself. The other is the “mask lady,” inspired by a neighbour she had in Los Angeles. The record moves between them, and the trick is that you never need the premise explained to enjoy the songs.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Cikojevic co-wrote and produced the album with David Carriere, her bandmate in TOPS, and the partnership shows in how much space the arrangements leave. These are pop songs with room underneath them rather than compressed to the ceiling — which is what lets the choruses land as big rather than merely loud.
The Spatial Dynamics: “99 Dimensional” is the showpiece, built on synths and synthetic pan flutes, and Bandcamp Daily called it “a hypnotic Europop tour de force.” Paste, in its new-albums roundup, traced the record’s DNA to hair metal, disco and house music, converging on what it called “ecstatic pop.” Those are not obviously compatible reference points. The album makes them sound like they always were.
Standout Performance
Cikojevic as a writer of characters. Splitting yourself into two people across an album is the kind of idea that usually produces a record you admire more than you play. This one you play.
Why It’s Certified
Bandcamp Daily named it Album of the Day on release, calling it “a masterclass in sharp songwriting that pulls out all the stops to deliver big, sassy choruses and seductively smooth synth-pop arrangements.” “Edge of the Knife” and “99 Dimensional” are the two to start with. A second album that’s this sure of its own architecture is a rare thing. Certified great.