Is this Take Two’s take two? In the second shock rebranding to grip our nation this summer, local indie-pop band Take Two have renamed themselves M1LDL1FE and launched a new single.
“Distraction” is now available for download via iTunes and is also available for streaming on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube. Speaking about their new single in a press release, frontman Paddy Ong outlines the many “distractions” that surface in life. “It’s a song about coming to terms with the various things in life that are ‘distractions’. Your work is a distraction from your side hustle or life outside the office.”
“Sometimes – even though it feels wrong to admit it – you feel like time with your family or loved ones are distractions too. It’s a song for those times when you feel, ‘I don’t have time for this right now’, but it’s your lover’s birthday dinner and you feel terrible for having those thoughts.”
The new single arrives nearly two years after the quartet’s debut EP “Pairs”, featuring the instant classic you just wanna scream along to – “In Your Arms”.
The band’s rebranding comes about 10 months after the departure of former guitarist Johnathan Lim, who left Take Two to focus on his family.
M1LDL1FE is Paddy Ong (vocals), Tan Peng Sing (guitar), David Siow (bass) and Jeryl Yeo (drums).
Popspoken spoke to M1LDL1FE as they begin their new life with this new single.
Popspoken: Firstly, congrats on the rebranding. The new name reflects a more sombre and serious mood. Can you tell us more about the reasons behind the name change?
When we were throwing out new names, it was like looking for new shoes in a giant shoe shop. Some had potential but just didn’t fit right, some were provocative and over the top, but most of them were pretty bad.
This one felt like we spotted a pair of bathroom slippers peeking out of a pile of other shoes. We had never worn them before but once we did there was odd sense of familiarity about it.
No grand stories or deep meanings about why we chose it, but when it came up, it just felt like it fits.
Popspoken: What can longtime fans of Take Two expect from the new sound that M1LDL1FE will be exploring?
We have always been working on our sound, with every new song a step closer to getting better at articulating what we want to say.
I would say this new sound has a bit more teeth to it. We were essentially a bunch of kids who grew up with guitar music played in noisy jam rooms, who then fell in love with computer music as we got older. A sort of indie-rock, Casio-post-punk revival.
Popspoken: Will you still perform Take Two songs?
Yes we will, albeit with some tweaks. It’s kind of like when you’re at a popiah party, and you’ll want to try different versions of your own popiah recipe; sometimes you want more eggs, sometimes you think you can handle a little more garlic.
We are really excited to play our new music as M1LDL1FE and are already thinking of how we can explore this new sound.
Popspoken: With the new sonic landscape, what artists are M1LDL1FE inspired by?
There have been so many revolutionary artists who have emerged recently, both local and international. We have been just gobbling up all the music that has been coming out in the past year or so. It’s mainly been music that has dared to be different.
M1LDL1FE’s updated Facebook page bio promises a “fresh and grittier” sound on their eponymous EP, “primed for release in July”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUwDu9WB0Ck/?taken-by=m1ldl1fe
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Header Image: Jasper Tan/Vadbibes
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