Endlessly creative experimental electronic music duo No Plexus take a sonic left turn with their stunning new single ‘May Be’, out 22nd September on The Platform Records.
Built around layered acapella recordings of singer Bec Plexus’s voice, ‘May Be’ is both hauntingly sparse and incredibly intricate in arrangement. As the vocals start to morph and mutate menacingly, building into a synthetic symphony, the song’s repeated central hook – “no matter how, they may be right maybe” – shifts in meaning and perspective.
‘May Be’ offers another tantalising glimpse of No Plexus’ upcoming album Rite Of Passage, out on October 6th. Following stunning previous single ‘Observation’, a beguiling blend of bubblegum pop, industrial synthwave and dubstep, their latest single is a mind bending left turn that continues the duo’s album release campaign with yet more sonic invention.
“May Be” is about moments in life when you experience cyclic negative thoughts about yourself”, No Plexus says. “Thoughts that you try to rationalise your way out of, but seem to return persistently and more pervasive than before. This is probably our most hyper-personal song so far. Almost every sound in this track has been created with recordings of Bec’s voice, to further illustrate how this uncomfortable experience is of her own creation.
The track’s music video, conceptualised and directed by No Plexus along with collaborator Tanja Busking, reflects the emotional ferocity of the production. Steeped in high drama, it shows Bec Plexus riding a mechanical rodeo bull in a darkened warehouse as the camera spins around her, creating an aura of uncertainty as she tries to maintain balance.
“In the music video, we re-created the feeling of cycling thoughts and claustrophobia by filming with a camera on a 360 degree dolly track”, the duo says. “In contrast with our previous music videos, we wanted this one to be reliant on a single visual concept and rely on practical effects such as lighting design, timed smoke and haze, and a “choreography” of mechanical bull operation and riding.”
No Plexus is a genre-queer experimental electronic music duo consisting of artists No Compliments and Bec Plexus. Their concept-driven approach to music is the result of both artists’ background in contemporary classical music fusing with a shared affinity for electronic music. Live sets from No Plexus combine raw and physical vocal performances, anchored by densely detailed drum programming and ever-evolving sound and visual design. A natural extension of their ceaseless creativity is the fact that No Plexus were chosen to be Rewire’s Young Artist in Residence for 2023 and 2024.
It’s easy to see why, too: while the duo’s DJ sets fuse hyperpop and industrial with their own remixes and edits, their immersive live shows are equally technologically-advanced, future-facing and genre-defying. Having worked with Emmanuel Biard (Evian Christ, Koreless, Lotic), their performances feature holographic display systems, extensive light programming and live-video feeds from webcams with AI-assisted facial-tracking technology.
Similarly futuristic is No Plexus’ debut album, the multi-layered journey Rite Of Passage, coming out on 6th October. The duo are set to play a set of shows around the release, including stops in Amsterdam and Nantes.
With a full album on the way, ‘May Be’ is another taste of the conceptually brilliant and sonically adventurous work of No Plexus.
Tour dates
29 September 23 – Club Hits Different @ Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, ND)
18 November 23 – Le Lieu Unique (Nantes, FR)
16 December 23 – Album release & double bill with fashion label The Nightmare Disorder, hosted by The Platform (Amsterdam, ND)
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