The infectious and unstoppable combination of groove and viral marketing has caused me a recent obsession with the artists known only as the One and Only PPL MVR, a 3 piece of musical Yeti (no, that isn't a metaphor) with a single EP to their name, the self-titled The One and Only PPL MVR.
The track itself instantly calls to mind modern blues-rock outfits like The White Stripes and The Black Keys, as well as more zany and experimental bands like Death From Above 1979 and the divisive modern success story that is Worthing duo Royal Blood (don't pretend you're from Brighton lads, it's not gonna work.) It really is a people mover, a certifiable groove producer. With groove-laden guitar riffs, driving rock beats, a slick pocketed bass line, thick analog synth pedals... and what sounds like a vocoder... it's hard not to nod your head to PPL MVR it's an off-key modern rock jam that I've been listening to on loop since I heard it. It's truly great stuff.
But it goes further than great music. There's a conspiracy, a plot if you will. On the old 2014 website for the Long Island Pop Punk/Emo cult favourites Brand New, this hidden link could be found by highlighting the top of the page. (Archive pictures courtesy of Fade Industry.)
This link takes you to the web page for The One and Only PPL MVR and the video posted near the top of this page.
No one knows who the members of PPL MVR are or if it's even important. PPL MVR hail from the other side of the United States from Brand New and so early assumptions that members of the latter made up the former have been dismissed? Is it simply an advert? Did Brand New even put it there in the first place or were they victims of an advertising hack?
WHY DAMMIT!? I MUST KNOW.
If the hooks weren't enough to intrigue you, then the mystery certainly will. Only time will tell what the connection between these two bands are, if there really is one at all.
The One and Only PPL MVR EP was released on April 20th on Elektra Records and can be bought on iTunes.
