By: Lisa Steinberg
Photo by James “Slice” Russell of Mimi’s Revenge
Q) Your music is often described as “pop,” but how would you describe your sound?
Slice: We love a catchy melody and we consider our sound electric with the spirit of soul and rock & roll.
Mimi: Yeah, Slice said it best!
Q) Who are some of your musical influences?
Mimi: OutKast, Blink-182 and …
Slice: Prince, too!
Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Drown.”
Mimi: Well, I’m a lover girl and had fallen too many times for people who weren’t the right fit for me. I think that led me to feel jaded by living in a world where people were “too cool” to care about someone. The song is about a time in my life when I’d rather drown when encountering anything romantic.
Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?
Mimi: I imagine many people can relate to being sick of love while holding out hope that it might still exist in this world.
Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?
Mimi: I’m the therapist and the patient at the same time. It’s about the voices in your head arguing about how you feel.
Slice: We design, shoot and edit all our work, so the approach for the videos often comes from the writing process. Everything is connected.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
Slice: [laughs] That’s top secret. Wouldn’t want to kill you if I told you.
Mimi: Why would you say that, Slice?! Just know it’s mostly chalk, notebooks and talk between us.
Q) With “Drown” out now, is there a full album or EP coming in the near future?
Mimi: We’ve got a single coming out this month and plans to keep releasing until the end of the year.
Slice: We released our debut album, Satin Sin, at the top of this year, too.
Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?
Slice: Between the two of us, we do everything for music and visuals. We’re big on self sufficiency and creative control.
Q) What can fans expect from a live Mimi’s Revenge performance?
Mimi: Raw and revelatory glimpses into our creative universe. We also like to save acoustic versions of our songs for live performances.
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
Mimi: We enjoy smaller intimate spaces to make our sets feel cozy and true to our art house approach. I know I have a dream of performing at the Fox Theater as a former theater kid.
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
Slice: The only person I want to keep collaborating with is my wife, Mimi.
Mimi: Awww, Slice! I would love to collaborate with Alemeda or Ecca Vandal, too.
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
Slice: Jean Dawson. He’s finding cool ways to make classic sounds modern and he is very musical in his approach.
Mimi: Durand Bernarr!!! He’s generational talent and sonically lives in a space that also transcends genres. His last three projects have had me in a chokehold.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
Slice: I appreciate all the fans who streamed and shared our music. We’re rolling out physicals for previous and upcoming releases.
Mimi: Thank you for all the love and believing in us! We’re independent, so it really has been our fans who have brought us to where we are today. Their enthusiasm and encouragement fuels me to go harder and keep sharing our work.