Miki Berenyi Trio x Lol Tolhurst x Gray share new single "Stranger" following rave reviews and a UK chart entry for new MB3 album "Tripla"
Good times for Miki Berenyi Trio... Following excellent reviews for their debut album Tripla, released earlier this month via Bella Union, the album entered the UK Album Charts at Number 86 and the Independent Album Chart at Number 5. A quietly impressive result for an indie release in this age of streaming behemoths! Today, just ahead of their UK tour, Miki Berenyi Trio share a brand new standalone single made in collaboration with alt-rock legend and old friend Lol Tolhurst and his son Gray. Billed as Miki Berenyi Trio x Lol Tolhurst x Gray, the new single titled “Stranger” comes accompanied with a video directed by Julian Gabriel Bendaña – watch HERE.
In Spring 2024, Miki Berenyi Trio (MB3) toured the US with Lol Tolhurst x Budgie as support. Terrific times were had, bonds were formed and fast-forward a year MB3 will be playing a six-date tour in Europe with Lol and his son Gray which begins this weekend. To celebrate the event, the members collaborated on this new single, a sublime slice of shoegazing psychedelic beauty, recorded in Los Angeles, London and St Leonards, and produced by MB3’s Oliver Cherer.
Oliver Cherer comments: “Stranger arrived as a demo from Lol/Gray, with guitar, synth and drums, with loads of room to develop riffs, hooks and melodies. I liked the insistent repetition of the long outro and was instantly minded to explore a Talk Talk approach, which is where the piano line with the Ashes to Ashes flanger wobble came from. The outro was extended to make a virtue of the repeated progression and the strings synths were added to help swell that into a wall of crescendo. Miki then took over adding lyrics and the gorgeous vocal melodies. Moose added layers of shimmering guitars and a rough mix was sent to Lol who added drum parts, recorded by Martin Fleischmann in Los Angeles, before it all came back to St Leonards for a mix where I also sneaked in a nice fat, squelchy Moog part. It developed quite naturally and easily, with each person’s contribution making the song bigger and more beautiful at every turn.”
Miki Berenyi adds: “The lyrics are about being a friend to a long-term couple splitting. The tragedy at the centre is the people actually breaking up, but the repercussions ripple outward.”
Lol: “Sadly, Budgie couldn’t make this tour, but my son Gray is taking time out of his band Topographies to perform my set with me. ‘Stranger’ will feature all five of the touring party playing live together, and we’re excited to have a unique song for the shows”.
Critical acclaim for Tripla:
“Sterling debut of new outfit from former Lush singer... Berenyi retains her knack for wrapping languid melodies around waspish lyrics.” Uncut – 8/10
“The beatbox and spacious synth/guitar textures lend Tripla greater sophistication than any regurgitated ‘shoegaze’, instead evoking mid-80s New Order’s retro-futurist pop,
where elegant tunes and crisp tempos provide a stately platform for Berenyi’s forthright messaging... On all fronts, a nourishing listen.” MOJO – 4 stars ****
“The nine songs here mix echoes of dream-pop past with fresh-minted re-imaginings of similar turf... the songs are fluid and exploratory, tinged with electronica...
On the strength of this fine merger of minds that come together on Tripla, more would be most welcome.” Record Collector – 4 stars ****
“Dream-pop at its finest... a quilt of sophisticated future shoegaze.” Louder Than War – 9/10 (Album of the Week)
“Fiercely political but sonically spacious and crisply melodic, Tripla is consistently thrilling.” The Guardian
“Stunning... This next chapter in Berenyi’s career feels very special indeed... full of the shimmering vocal harmonies and blissed-out guitars familiar to Lush fans, but with a new level of maturity...
A wonderful return.” Classic Rock – 4 stars ****
“Eco-conscious 8th Deadly Sin nods New Order. Then there’s a switch, with disco grooves to the fore on the Talking Heads-like highlight Big I Am.” Daily Mail – 4 stars ****
“This radiates revived energy, probing big themes with tasty sounds, mixing Curve-ish guitars and perky rhythms.” PROG
“The overall sound is dreamy and upbeat... Tripla is the start of an exciting new chapter for one of indie music’s great survivors.” MusicOMH – 4 stars ****
“There’s depth and breadth, lyrically and sonically, to Tripla... It all makes for a mature and lived-in dream pop album.” The Arts Desk - 4 stars ****
“Accomplished dream-pop... Tripla takes the principles of the shoegaze Lush became beloved for and infuses it with some punchy beats and electronic soundscapes.” HiFi Choice – 4 stars ****
“An impressive and multi-layered return... some of the most beautiful music Berenyi has put her name to yet.” Buzz – 4 stars ****
Miki Berenyi Trio live dates:
Sunday 27th April – Arlon, Belgium – L’Entrepot (with Lol Tolhurst)
Monday 28th April – Colmar, France – Le Grillen (with Lol Tolhurst)
Tuesday 29th April – Paris, France – FGO Barbara (with Lol Tolhurst)
Wednesday 30th April – Lille, France – L’Aeronef (with Lol Tolhurst)
Thursday 1st May – Haarlem, Netherlands – Patronaat (with Lol Tolhurst)
Saturday 3rd May – Liege, Belgium – Reflektor (with Lol Tolhurst)
Friday 9th May – London – Moth Club
Saturday 10th May – Norwich – Voodoo Daddy
Sunday 11th May – Brighton – DUST
Sunday 18th May – Reading – The Facebar
Thursday 22nd May – Cambridge – The Portland Arms
Saturday 24th May – Leeds – Lending Rooms
Saturday 31st May – Edinburgh – Sneaky Petes
Sunday 1st June – Newcastle – The Cluny
Saturday 5 July – Cheshire – Pop at the Lock
“Stranger” artwork:
