Interview: 2016 Must-Know - Miamigo

We're calling it now: Brighton synth-pop duo, Miamigo, will be soundtracking all your road-trips this coming Summer. Their 80s influenced bops would not sound out of place on the soundtrack of a John Hughes movie, and the two-piece perfectly juxtapose cynical sentiments against bombastic soundscapes.

"Love / Fear."

CDM: How does your songwriting process work?
MIAMIGO: We've lived together now for three years, so everything is done in the house. I'll either write the song on piano or acoustic guitar and Jamie will produce a track round that, or J's made the initial beat and chord-pattern and I'll write the track over that.

CDM: Do you write your lyrics specifically for the songs, or do you write poems or prose and then evolve them into song-form?
MIAMIGO: If the music for the song hasn't been made yet, the lyrics can go anywhere or be about anything. If Jamie's started the production, I'll ad-lib over it and see what comes out. The lyrics tend to be about people or relationships I have seen in real life, but good TV shows can be pretty inspiring too.

CDM: Lyrically, what's your favourite song that you've written?
MIAMIGO: That is up online, maybe 'Hard To Love' because it was written so quickly and it felt instinctive - I think the music in this track really embodies the lyrics especially in the chorus. We definitely have some we're waiting to put out that will represent the mind and spirit of the band.

CDM: What do you think is the difference between a good song and a great song?
MIAMIGO: I think a good song gets people for different reasons, be it the lyrics, the fat snare, groovy bass-line, chorus... but if a song helped you though a real shit time or enhanced the best moments of your life, then it's a great song.

CDM: At what age did you write your very first song ever, and what was it about?
MIAMIGO: Maybe about five, with my cousin, and it was called 'Memories'. It was about the memories I had accumulated thus far. 

CDM: If you were a country, which song would be your national anthem?
MIAMIGO: The Dream Academy's 'Life In A Northern Town'.

CDM: What do you think is the strongest human emotion?
MIAMIGO: Love / Fear.

CDM: Which actors would you cast to play yourselves if a MIAMIGO movie was made?
MIAMIGO: Me (Liam) - Paul Rudd. Jamie - Adam Sandler.

CDM: If M.I.A.M.I.G.O. were an acronym, what would each letter stand for?
MIAMIGO: Music Is About Making It Go On.

CDM: What's on your bucket-list?
MIAMIGO: To work with Joss Whedon somehow, he's one of the greatest story-tellers of our generation.

MIAMIGO's EP 'Soda Lime Love' is out now - click HERE to purchase it via iTunes.

Watch the 'Seeing Two' music video below…

P.S. Click HERE to check out more of CDM's 2016 Must-Know artists in CDM Issue #17!