What happens when Tim Nordwind of OK Go and Drea Smith of He Say/She Say bond over post-punk and ‘80s Manchester bands? The lucid and dreamlike originality of the unlikely combination is an indie-pop outfit emerging under the moniker of PYYRAMIDS. Then add to the equation the mixing genius of Dave Fridmann (MGMT, Flaming Lips) and you have a not-so-much-a-side-project on your hands.

When a mutual friend introduced the two over email, a new conversation started – one punched with musical creativity and ideas despite the great physical distance between the two. As the words began flowing, so did the songs.

In 2011 PYYRAMIDS dropped debut EP Human Beings on Paracadute. The 6-track introduction created a stir among underground indie music bloggers and lovers. As word and Soundcloud links of the duo’s brainchild spread, so did the demand for live performances. Sold out shows from Los Angeles to New York were soon underway.

In the wake of success, the six tracks of Human Beings started to take shape and full length Brightest Darkest Day has emerged. Rich with lyrical themes of human struggling that transforms via a psychedelic nature, the balance of pop-sensibility and obscurity are perfectly symmetrical. There is a sense of fresh territory being unearthed with the likes of Brightest Darkest Day, for even in the albums title itself there rides a duality many struggle with. Breakout tracks “Don’t Go” and “Smoke and Mirrors” have a Stevie Nicks quality – Smiths self-awareness in lyrics, “broken and sober, we don’t know” shine through and a haunting mysticism overrides her vocals as a picture of the clearest dream-pop sequence emerges and floods the ears. 

Heavier bass riffs and fuzzed guitar sections develop in “Do You Think You’re Enough?” The track suggests the darkness of its tone, “Do you think you’re enough, do you think you’re enough for them.” The repetition of the line, paired with Smith’s layered vocals translates a sonic landscape that the pair tears through in relentless fashion. When “Paper Doll” sneaks into the catalog, it is apparent that PYYRAMIDS are able to dig deep, into the haunting purgatory of new and old. Done with ease and sensibility,Brightest Darkest Day really pushes what we know of the indie-pop genre. “Invisible Scream,” “Nothing I Can Say” and “Time” hone in on the dark-pop vision PYYRAMIDS has unearthed.

This is a collaboration we are quick to watch, listen and have high expectations for in the future.