Mamalarky is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band formed in 2016 in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. The group was briefly based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

before relocating to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

History

Singer and guitarist Livvy Bennett and drummer Dylan Hill first became acquainted in middle school and later met keyboardist Michael Hunter in high school. After high school, the members began playing together and adopted the name Mamalarky by 2016. The band was initially active in their hometown of

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

before relocating to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Bennett played bass on tour with

Cherry Glazerr Cherry Glazerr is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2013. The current lineup consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Clementine Creevy, bassist Sami Perez and drummer Tabor Allen. The band's sound has transitioned from lo-fi and ...

and Hunter played with

White Denim White Denim is an American four-piece rock band from Austin, Texas, United States. Their music is influenced by dub, psychedelic rock, blues, punk rock, progressive rock, soul, jazz, experimental rock with home-based recording, jamming appro ...

during this time. Mamalarky released their debut EP, ''Fundamental Thrive Hive,'' in May 2018. Bassist Noor Khan joined the band late that year in response to a call for musicians put out by Bennett on

Tinder Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder i ...

. In December 2019, the band signed to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

based record label Fire Talk. The following month, they released "Fury", the first single off their debut album. This was followed by "How To Say" in May 2020 and lead single "Schism Trek" that September. Bennett, Hunter, and Khan relocated to Atlanta late that year. The band released the final singles from their full length debut, “You Make Me Smile” and "Drug Store Model", in October and November 2020 respectively. Mamalarky’s self-titled debut album, a culmination of two years of effort, was released on November 20, 2020. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' contributor Jesse Locke praised the band’s “complex instrumental interplay”, awarding the album a rating of 7.1 out of 10. Ben Salmon of '' Paste'' magazine gave the album a rating of 7.5, describing the album's sound as "fussed over" and "distant" but ultimately commending the group's fluency in multiple genres. The band’s second album, ''Pocket Fantasy'', was released in September 2022 on Fire Talk Records. Writing for ''Pitchfork'', critic Will Gottsegen rated the album 7.3 out of 10, praising the balance the band struck between technical proficiency and “playfulness”.

Members

* Livvy Bennett – vocals, guitar (2016–present) * Dylan Hill – drums (2016–present) * Michael Hunter – keyboard (2016–present) * Noor Khan – bass (2018–present)

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

* ''Fundamental Thrive Hive'' (2018)

Singles

* "Loose Leaf" (2017) * "Nonmonogamy" (2017) * "Mama's Bear" (2018) * "Hero" (2019) * "Fury" (2020) * "How to Say" (2020) * "Schism Trek" (2020) * "You Make Me Smile" (2020) * "Drug Store Model" (2020) * "Meadow" (2021) * "Moss" (2021) * "You Know I Know" (2022) * "Mythical Bonds" (2022) * "It Hurts" (2022) * "Shining Armor" (2022)

References

{{Authority control Musicians from Austin, Texas Indie rock musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Indie rock musical groups from Texas Musical groups established in 2016 2016 establishments in Texas