Macula Dog

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Macula Dog
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OriginNew York, New York, U.S.
Genres
  • Experimental pop
  • experimental
  • electronica
Years active2015-present
Labels
  • HAORD Records
  • Wharf Cat Records
Websitemaculadog.bandcamp.com
MembersBen Mendelewicz
Matt Cutler
haord.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/MaculaDog

Macula Dog are an experimental band from New York City formed in 2015 by Ben Mendelewicz and Matt Cutler. They are best known for their style of electronic music as well as their live performances, which have been described as being "highly visual."[1]

They have appeared on WNYU's New Afternoon Show, Know Wave Radio, The Special Without Brett Davis, and Adult Swim's FishCenter Live. They have also provided themes for Adult Swim's Live Crossword Puzzle Show and NYC Public Access programming.[2] Their live set was covered in The New Yorker, they were featured in Vice's Noisey, and their album Orange 2 was given a 7.7 rating by Pitchfork.[1][3][4][5][6]

History

Ben Mendelewicz and Matt Cutler met sometime in the 2000s in West Palm Beach, Florida. Their first musical project was a ska band that they played in while in middle school, where Cutler played trombone.[7] They later began creating music together under the name Tumbleweave in 2009, and released their first EP as Tumbleweave on June 15th of 2010. Later in the year, Mendelewicz would move to New York City, and Tumbleweave would shift towards a solo act of his, rather than a duo project. At the same time, Cutler moved to Sarasota, Florida, and started performing as Drut PD. They would release a split under both names as the first release under Haord Records, a cassette label founded and ran by the two of them. Shortly after, Cutler would move to New York City and they would adopt the moniker Macula Dog soon afterwards, releasing a song to Soundcloud titled "Puppy Lovely Prince Flip" under the name on October 8th, 2014.[8] Macula Dog's first EP, Macula Dog, would release on March 18th of 2015 under Haord Records. Since then, they have released 2 EPs, 2 albums, and 1 remix EP.[9][10]

Style

Auditory

Macula Dog's music has been described as "clattering electronic synth music."[1] Pitchfork described their album Orange 2 as being "equally nauseating and joyous," and as being "delirious [and] queasy."[4] The band makes heavy usage of irregular rhythms, samples, and distorted vocals. To record their sound, they record samples onto a drum pads and keyboards, and alternate samples between one another, resulting in what Mendelewicz describes as "convoluted loops."[7]

Their lyricism tends to revolve around topics such as "warp-speed" consumerism, industry, business, modernity, misinformation, and technology.[5] The single "Lawnmower" from their debut album Why Do You Look Like Your Dog? and the single "Plug" from Orange 2 are the only songs by Macula Dog to have their lyrics publicly released, with the lyrics for "Plug" being released in a lyric video.[11][12] Otherwise, the band has stated that they have no interest in releasing the lyrics of their songs.

Visual

Over their career, Macula Dog have made use of various costumes and live setups in their performances, and have stated, “If you don’t like the record, maybe you’ll like the concert.”[13] During live shows, Mendelewicz plays an electronic drum kit or drum pad, and Cutler plays a keyboard as well as providing vocals.

Early Performances (2015)

Macula Dog's first costumes comprised of masks, pink shirts, black pants with grey tubes, and most notably, mannequins. Both members had mannequins on their shoulders, and the mannequins wore the members' costumes. Mendelewicz's mannequin was named "Bruce Brothers" while Cutler's alternated between "Mark Brothers" and "Mark Matthews".[14][5] During this period, they would occasionally adopt the names of the mannequins as stage names, and would refer to the mannequins as actual members, sometimes describing themselves as a "four-person duo," or in some instances, as just a four piece band.[5][13][6]

These costumes appear in the music video for "Purchase Power Station", and are on the covers for their Macula Dog EP and Why Do You Look Like Your Dog? [2][15][16]

Transitional Period (2016)

In 2016, between the usage of their first and second costumes, they experienced a transitional period where they would use pieces from multiple costumes. In the video for the song "Smokestack", they are seen wearing the masks from their first costumes while shirtless, with the pants from the Breezy costumes.[17] In a performance from June of 2016, they are seen wearing long jackets akin to the ones used for the Breezy costumes, with the grey tubes seen in the pants of the first costumes attached, the pants used for the Breezy costumes as well as wearing orange ping pong balls attached to the face, along with cameras and projectors on their heads.[18] In around October and November of 2016, they would go shirtless and wear grey wigs with long ponytails or cowboy hats, as well as the pants and masks seen in the Breezy costumes.[19][20]

2nd Costumes / Breezy (2016-2019)

The next set of costumes would be used in the years leading to the release of, and for the release of, the Breezy EP. The costumes featured puffy black wigs, bell bottom pants, long-sleeved jackets, and masks with motion tracking markers attached. The pants, masks, and trim of the jacket had a black light effect. Both members also had cameras attached to their heads, suspended from their wigs. The feed of these cameras would be displayed on the walls of the venue while performing.

These costumes appear in the cover for Breezy, as well as its promotional photos, and in the video for the track "Breezy".[1][21]

Orange 2 (2022-present)

The most recent set of costumes feature the duo carrying their instruments with modified Pearl Drums marching snare carriers, wearing impact-resistant clothing and protective masks in case of injury, and wearing bionic wearable chairs. This setup also features camera feeds of their faces, this time displayed on circular plastic shields attached to their instruments, designed to mimic holograms.[13] Due to their instruments being attached to them and the addition of the wearable chairs, they are able to stand up or sit down, and walk around the performing space freely, at times separating completely from one another.

These costumes appear in the cover for Orange 2, as well as its promotional photos and videos.[4][12][22]

Discography

Macula Dog have released 2 albums, 3 EPs, 1 remix EP, and have been featured on 2 compilations.[9][10][23]

Main Discography

  • Macula Dog (EP) (Haord Records) March 28th, 2015
  • Why Do You Look Like Your Dog? (LP) (Wharf Cat Records) August 12th, 2016
  • Natural Dog (EP) (Haord Records) August 8th, 2017
  • Breezy (EP) (Wharf Cat Records) April 24th, 2020
  • Orange 2 (LP) (Wharf Cat Records) October 7th, 2022

Compilations

  • "Baking Bread Again" - Eclectic Sessions Volume 2 (Ramp Local) December 9th, 2016
  • "Smart Man Do" - Haord 2 (Haord Records) December 20th, 2020

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Macula Dog - Breezy". Wharf Cat Records. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Macula Dog - Why Do You Look Like Your Dog?". Wharf Cat Records. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  3. ↑ "Macula Dog". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Nast, Condé. "Macula Dog: Orange 2". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Scott, Tim (2015-11-23). "Macula Dog Is the Cross Between Devo and 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' You've Been Searching For". Vice. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Scott, Tim (2016-07-27). "Listen to "Grayed Out," the Latest from Four-Person Electronic Duo Macula Dog". Vice. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Rig Rundown with Dan Deacon and Macula Dog". Talkhouse. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  8. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Macula Dog". Macula Dog. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Haord Records". Haord Records. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  11. ↑ "Macula Dog Paint The World Wild On "Lawnmower" – AdHoc". 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Macula Dog - "Plug" (Official Lyric Video), retrieved 2023-09-25
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Orange 2, by Macula Dog". Macula Dog. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  14. ↑ "POSTPONED: Macula Dog, Oracle Plus, DALE". The Holland Project. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  15. ↑ Macula Dog - Purchase Power-Station, retrieved 2023-09-25
  16. ↑ "Macula Dog, by Macula Dog". Haord Records. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  17. ↑ Macula Dog - Smokestack (Official Video), retrieved 2023-09-25
  18. ↑ Macula Dog - Jungle Swingers (Live at Betty's Bar and Grill, Nashville, TN), retrieved 2023-09-25
  19. ↑ Macula Dog Boston Hassle Music Fest 2016, retrieved 2023-09-25
  20. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
  21. ↑ Macula Dog - Breezy (Official Music Video), retrieved 2023-09-25
  22. ↑ Macula Dog - "Neosporin" (Official Video), retrieved 2023-09-25
  23. ↑ "Eclectic Sessions Volume 2, by Various Artists". Ramp Local. Retrieved 2023-09-25.

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