Miranda & the Beat - Such a Fool / Chillantro

'Miranda Zipse is a force of nature. And were we not in the midst of a paralyzing pandemic touting a flagrant lack of reasons to party, you'd be flocking to the nearest dance floor to watusi your ass off to these brand new tunes. Zipse and her musical partner Kim ('The Beat') Sollecito began as a duo in Monterey, California in late 2017. The band moved to New York in 2018 (after a summer residency where they fell in with the veritable cult of Jonathan Toubin and his Soul Clap dance parties) and quickly added keys (Dylan Fernandez) and bass (Mike Roth) to their lineup. Demonstrably influenced by soul, yé-yé, surf, and the bands they shared bills with in their early West coast days (Tomb Weavers, Mystery Lights, Shoobies) and undeniably groovy, the quartet managed to record a new single before shelter-in-place orders were issued this Spring. In 'Such A Fool,' Zipse's commanding rasp is timeless, her delivery effortless, and her growls and wails masterfully employed. The song traps it's narrator in the throws of regret, taunted and tortured. Woozy organ obligato yields to a lilting guitar solo and a confessional spoken third verse. B-side 'Chillantro' is a casserole of cool - put it on repeat and eat those leftovers all week.