Australia and North and South America have been hit with a wave of horror over the last twelve months. We’re not talking about social or political terror or even Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as Laurie Strode in the Halloween reboot. No, this horror is laced with Miami flair, wearing party shirts, producing summer jams, and bringing the good vibes to clubs, venues, and festivals. It’s electro-pop group, Miami Horror and they have just wrapped up their ‘Luv Is Not Enough’ Tour for the year and both the act and audiences agree – it’s been their biggest and best tour to date.
“It’s actually been the best tour we’ve ever done, really nice venues and being on a tour bus makes it a lot easier. We wanted to step the show up a level since we’ve been touring without Josh [Moriarty] and the new singers are really putting it on, it’s nice to have a female vocalist in the mix for the first time. The lights and visuals are really adding a lot. It feels like we’re putting something on at the level I’ve always wanted,” says founding member, DJ, and producer, Benjamin Plant.
“Mexico at Corona Capital Festival was next level, Mexico is our biggest fan base so we regrouped with Josh for that one show and it was a real celebratory moment. We’ll always feel the love there.”
These shows have certainly proved the boys have levelled up on their production, their delivery and on their fan base, with the Melbourne foursome showing tremendous growth as a live act, and they’ll be continuing that momentum into 2020 with a mammoth 15 date European tour in April. But while these shows have been the highlight of Miami Horror’s touring life, it is also a return to form and foundations for the boys.
“I would say that we’re circling back to the project being how it started. For a while there we were really trying to be a band, but musically for me, it’s always been about the vision and releases and that is definitely back at the forefront,” Plant explains. “The live show is reflecting that with the new singers being able to do a wider range of songs in the way they were intended. It’s definitely different for some fans, but it feels good.”
You know what else feels good? New music! Miami Horror fans had been restless for new tunes from the kaleidoscope hit-makers since their 2017 EP, ‘The Shapes’ and this year they delivered, serving up the two new bops in October – the empowering groove-driven single, ‘Luv Is Not Enough’, and the sleeky RnB number ‘Restless’. Like the live shows, both tracks are a return to the essence of Miami Horror and different from what fans have come to expect, but in the best way possible.
“I mean I’m getting a little bit over the whole anthemic chorus thing. I think there are cooler ways to do it so we’re currently experimenting with that. Plus a lot of the music I listen to that is far more about feeling or vibe than obvious chorus lifts, et cetera. So I wanted to better reflect that,” says Plant.
“If you can find a big single while keeping that restraint, that’s usually when you find something magic as opposed to pushing too hard to write a single. It’s always been a challenge to find that balance because people almost expect these anthems from us. But I think ‘Luv Is Not Enough’ is a nice balance.”
‘Luv Is Not Enough’ features the musky, ultra-cool vocals of Clear Mortifee which sinks into the effortless grooves, and as Plant explains, came together in a similar seamless fashion.
“It happened very naturally, there were actually a lot of writers on that song, everyone did a little piece on the vocals and Clear was the last to come in and sing it. Clear’s voice was so great and takes so nuanced we had to keep it.”
The two 2019 singles both belong on Miami Horrors highly anticipated third studio album, confirmed for release in 2020. The boys are taking their time with piecing together this body of work, again continuing that focus of restraint and their roots.
“I’d say we’re about 50% down,” Plant laughs. “I still really want to explore a whole new side. We have the funk and RnB stuff down, but want to also have some of that OG Miami Horror essence and emotions.”
‘Luv Is Not Enough’ and ‘Restless’ are good indications of what is to come from the producers with collaborations a-plenty, lyrically diversity around relationships, being carefree and some more metaphorical messages, and those mega fresh beats.
Watch this space for the album announcement and in the meantime get streaming on ‘Luv Is Not Enough’ and ‘Restless’.
Written by Tammy Walters
Photo by Andrew Noel