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No, this Budapest-hailing band wasn’t named after the synth keyboards of the same name (admit it China Shoppers, you know that’s the first thing you thought after reading the title). Rather, this indie, dance-rock quintet was named after a small club in Barcelona where one of the members got super-inebriated and had a very “memorable” night.

Yes, their sophomore LP titled Razzmatazz Orfeum is a delicious, exquisitely-produced slice of synth-infused, glam-alicious, danceable, rock tunes featuring slick riffs, precise drums, catchy melodies and addictive lyricism. It was recorded entirely in Seattle, Washington under the aegis of Geoff Ott (Queens of the Stone Age, Twisted Radio, Verve Pipe), and the first single “You Raised A Vampire” is an absolute scorcher.

Yes, all the band’s members (Tonyo-lead singer, Miguel-keyboards, Ádi-guitar, Gergo-drums, Csabi-bass) have the slim, body frames and angular features required for modern-day rock stardom. They also have the best collection of fin de siècle, vintage suits you’ve seen since the movie, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. As lead singer Tonyo says, “our friend Veszéjes Áron who directed two of our videos helped us in finding some of these pieces of clothing we wear, which happen to be very old.”
Good job, Mr. Veszéjes, you are an exemplary stylist!

No, the band members aren’t exactly superstars in their native city of Budapest. As our friend Tonyo explains, “We’ve been able to achieve a certain level of popularity here in Hungary which is great, but if you sing in English, you can never get huge mainstream success for some reason. To be honest we don’t even really want the mainstream thing.”

And Yes, I couldn’t pass up on the chance to learn some bad Hungarian words when interviewing The Moog for this piece. Again Tonyo was very accommodating. “Kurva anyád! or Baszd meg! can be crushing and brutal to any ear regardless of its nationality. ‘Kurva anyád!’ is a bit stronger version of ‘You son of a bitch!’ and ‘Baszd meg!’ is ‘Fuck you!’ There, I’m trying to spread our beautiful culture here… hope you enjoy.”
Thanks Tonyo, we’re forever indebted.

Lastly, make sure you check out The Moog’s splendid new album, Razzmatazz Orfeum (dropping July 21st) and also the video, “You Raised a Vampire” below.

Upcoming Moog  tour dates include the Red Bull Sound Clash in Baja on July 17th.

By Geo Hagan

4.50 (4 votes)

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