Following Lush’s brief mid-’10s reunion, Miki Berenyi shifted her focus toward the two albums she’d go on to release with Piroshka, a like-minded experiment in dream-pop textures and a more driving, indie-rock energy. With that outfit last being heard from in 2021, the latest chapter of the musician’s musical career has unfolded with her recently formed live band the Miki Berenyi Trio, which features Piroshka multi-instrumentalist Kevin McKillop along with songwriter Ollier Cherer on bass. Following the release of Berenyi’s candid memoir about her turbulent musical journey up until that point, the Trio feels like a fresh start.
Next Friday, the Trio will release their debut album Tripla via Bella Union, with the band seamlessly bridging the gap between the dream-pop sounds Berenyi initially helped usher in during the early-’90s and today’s more fractured take on the genre. Lead single “8th Deadly Sin” introduced the band’s sound over electronic percussion ripped from the alternative-dance scene, while the more recent “Big I Am” presents a hazier vision of what Tripla might have in store.
While we still have another day to wait until we can hear the full record, all three members came together to present us with a playlist of influences that speak to both the vintage and contemporary inspirations on the record—which together demonstrate the broad palette the trio worked within. “The stuff I listen to when I’m recording tends to be more of a palate cleanser,” McKillop shares. “On the train down to Ollie’s studio, I listen to a multitude of old faves from different worlds—some things have been with me for decades, others are new bands and artists I may have seen live recently.”
You can pre-order Tripla here, and check out the playlist MB3 came up with below.
OLLIE CHERER
Tom Tom Club, “Genius of Love”
Tina Weymouth is my longest serving and most constant Reason to be Cheerful. Her spare, lean basslines are an inspiration, and her influence on “Big I Am” nudges plagiarism, for which I am unapologetic. I’ve not yet perfected that running-on-the-spot thing she does, though.
Cocteau Twins, “Ivo”
I bought this on release and played it to death, and when writing new songs with MB3 it became an unavoidable touchstone. Still utterly irresistible.
The Monkees, “Porpoise Song”
I was playing this a lot when we were writing Tripla, and I think its soaring, wistful vastness seeped in by osmosis. That kind of majestic beauty isn’t a quality I’d obviously associate with The Monkees, but that’s exactly what it’s made of.
Föllakzoid, “I”
There are definite EDM elements to the MB3 sound—I’m a sucker for an arpeggiating mono synth and a space echo, and Föllakzoid’s I album has them in abundance. It’s no surprise that they pop up here and there on Tripla. Dark, hard, and unrelenting, and a constant soundtrack throughout 2024.
Craven Faults, “Vacca Wall”
It’s become something of a tradition to listen to dark-ambient techno on the motorway, late at night after MB3 shows, and Craven Faults seems to come up more than most. The only drawback is that pulling into the forecourt of a motorway motel at 2 a.m. with this as the soundtrack feels like driving into a particularly doomy slice of Scandi noir. Unsettling.
MIKI BERENYI
Gang of Four, “He’d Send in the Army”
We toured with Go4 in 2023, and this song started with singer Jon King rhythmically destroying a microwave oven with an iron bar, then what seems like random guitar noodle until everything coalesces into a rhythmic punch. I was inspired by that resolution from disparate parts to write “Gango” (a nod to the song’s genesis right there in the title). You need to know where the song is going [in order] to play it, because none of the other elements are there yet, but as a listener there’s a surge of surprise when it all comes together.
Red Crayola, “Hurricane Fighter Plane”
A band I used to go see in the ’80s called The Purple Things used to do a cover of this song, but it’s not on Spotify so I’ll go with the original—it was the jumping-off point for my writing “Hurricane” (another namecheck!). I always loved that simple, looping bass line that instantly makes your dancing muscles twitch while retaining a hypnotic quality.
Françoise Hardy, “Comment te dire adieu”
I was always a bit wary of the French femme fatales of ’60s pop because so many blokes around me in bands at the time fetishised Birkin/Bardot/Hardy for, I felt, all the wrong reasons. But there’s no resisting such a classic bit of French pop, and that descending melody scale has been used in many songs, so I thought I’d do my own take with “Kinch.”
Au Pairs, “Diet”
I had “Diet” on a 7-inch single (backed with “It’s Obvious”), and the spikiness lit up my teenage synapses. This song is more downbeat than their usual, but the lyrics describing the narrow coffin that women are encouraged to squeeze into to be “feminine” absolutely resonated with me as a girl becoming a woman, and the discomfort I felt toward the societal ideal being presented to me. Playing with a Different Sex is one of my formative albums, and it’s never far from my thoughts when writing my own lyrics, not least “Big I Am” and “Gango” on Tripla. Serious but snarky, with a sense of humour.
Simple Minds, “Changeling”
This early era of Simple Minds was a touchstone when we started Piroshka, and although I don’t write songs like this, or sing anything like Jim Kerr, the dynamics of the music are incredible and something to aspire to (in my wildest dreams).
KJ “MOOSE” MCKILLOP
Culture, “Two Sevens Clash”
A mega-slice of joy, it’s impossible to prevent this track from taking total control of body and soul. The whole album is stunning—the tracks “Natty Dread Taking Over” and “Calling Rasta for I” are equally superb.
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, “They Say It’s Wonderful”
This is from an Impulse album from 1963 (a vintage year—I was born that January!). Both artists had an early affiliation with Dizzy Gillespie, though they were never in his band at the same time. I could’ve picked anything from this album (“Lush Life,” for example). Sparse and tender, warm and so humane, this has been part of my life for nearly 40 years.
Daniel Avery, “Higher”
Some old-skool DnB. This is one of the highlights of Ultra Truth, released a few years ago and easily one of the best records of recent times. I’ve been lucky enough to catch Avery’s DJ sets at various festivals in the last few years. He’s incredible and never disappoints! I’d also recommend his DJ Kicks album.
Arvo Pärt, “Summa”
There are many recordings of this, both orchestral and choral. I lean toward the latter and this Hilliard Ensemble recording is amazing—ethereal with a pared-back simplicity that conveys real intimacy. You can imagine opening your eyes and seeing them singing right there in front of you.
