First thing’s first, and as this is their first appearance on TMR, let’s get to know Misty Mtn a little better. This Brooklyn-based duo is the joint project of Morissa Trunzo and Lucas Segall who utilise their alternative backgrounds from west of New York to elevate their stormy electronic productions. While Tunzo grew up singing at rodeos in Montana, Segall was playing in indie bands in Los Angeles. Somehow the two made it to the East Coast and in 2017 set up Misty Mtn, inspired by a shared love of Bob Dylan and a special lyric in particular: “I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains.” With that, the duo have coined their own genre of ‘dark mountain pop’, which combines western Americana, Nordic aesthetics and Brooklyn beats. That’s exactly the flavour we’re getting with their sophomore single ‘Guess Who’s Back’, which follows promising debut ‘Greener’. The newer track opens with surf-rock guitars from the California coast before opening up in a riveting pop hook that would bring a tear to any Scandinavian’s eye, backed up by a dramatic trifecta of synths, bass guitar and piano. That’s not even mentioning the unbelievable catchy chorus, “guess who’s back, back in town, missed your call, guess you heard I’ve been around, couldn’t wait any more.” These short, direct phrases are full of snap and self-respect delivered by Trunzo’s rich vocal. For such an early release, Misty Mtn could very be onto a hit already. - Hannah Thacker