Gilligan Moss

Gilligan Moss

Gilligan Moss is an electronic and indie pop act from Chicago, United States. It begins as a solo project for songwriter Evan before expanding into a duo with Ben, Evan’s friend from childhood. Their music blends upbeat dance-pop, intricate rhythms and vocals that move between playful and wistful moods. The duo describes its sound with terms such as “déance” and “garden-disco”, and cites Talking Heads as a major influence for rhythm and character-driven lyrics.

Background

Evan grows up in Chicago and meets Ben in preschool before later moving to New York to pursue a career. He works in management consulting before writing his first Gilligan Moss single, “Choreograph”. Attention from blogs leads him to leave his job and focus on music full-time. The project’s debut EP, Ceremonial, appears in 2015 and is made with Van Rivers, who also advises on creative decisions and helps finish the mixing.

Releases and remixes

Before and around the first EP, Gilligan Moss releases remixes for Glass Animals’ “Gooey” and Sia’s “Big Girls Cry”. After the release of Ceremonial, Glass Animals invite the act to join their U.S. tour, and Ben begins performing live on bassline synths. The two then start writing together, and Gilligan Moss becomes a duo. In 2016 they complete remixes of Sebastien Tellier’s “La Ritournelle” and Tegan and Sara’s “Boyfriend”. Their second EP, What Happened?, appears in 2018.

Production and collaborators

Much of the duo’s early work develops in Evan’s home studio, and later material is written in the woods of upstate New York. Van Rivers, whose credits include Fever Ray, Glasser and Matthew Dear, plays a role in shaping Ceremonial. The project’s sound is built around layered arrangements, rhythmic detail and the interplay between the two performers.