Ears Wide Open: Mihi Nihil

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Mihi Nihil

The debut album by L.A. quartet Mihi Nihil promises to be a wild ride — at least as wild as it gets from a former New York City Opera singer backed by three self-taught rockers.

The foursome — singer Mihi Vox (aka Mollie Weaver), along with guitarist Benjamin Montoya, bassist Nick Steinberg and drummer Adam Alt — last week released the frenetic single “I Eat You,” a three-minute rocker influenced by first-wave punk. The album, produced by Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Army Navy, Nightjacket, the Pretty Flowers, Swerve), figures to draw from ’80 post-punk and later-arriving alternative rock as well.

Weaver, who after opera time recorded music for film and TV and worked as a vocalist for a batch of A-list rock, soul, country and electronic artists, is properly edgy on Mihi Nihil’s first two singles “Vertigo” and “Be There.” She goes full-on agit-punk on “I Eat You,” with its humorous lyrics (“I spoon your tasty candy eyes”) sounding like an awkward translation from a non-English speaker.

“I Eat You” comes with a video homage to skateboarding culture directed by Colin H. Clark with material from Tony Hawk, Inc. Go crazy, kids.

Mihi Nihil’s debut album is due in early 2021.

||| Watch: The video for “I Eat You”

||| Also: Check out “Vertigo”