If New York’s MS MR didn’t already blow me away with their debut EP Candy Bar Creep Show, their performance last Tuesday at Masquerade completely knocked me off my feet. Playing a solid hour set to open for the tremendous alt-rock party band Grouplove, the duo plus two other touring musicians treated the sold out crowd to all the lovely tunes from their recent EP plus a few new tracks that we can only hope to expect to get on future releases. What makes MSMR so incredible is their casual-cool approach to their music: nothing forced, which leaves everything sounding just as good as if you’re listening to their songs on your headphones. Then only thing missing from their show, which something tells me could be coming in future tours, is that eerie patchwork of vintage film samples that’s been the makeup of their music videos playing behind their simple setup. 

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, MS MR (pronounced misses mister) is the real deal. They have a terrific balance of mysterious and dark synth melodies with catchy hooks and danceable indie beats. And the aspect I most respect about their music is that it’s effortless. Everything just comes together as it should without any added bells and whistles, no pun intended. Check them out on tour with Grouplove this fall and snag some free downloads from their Tumblr (not to mention check out their cool blog).