MGMT

MGMT is an American pop rock group from Middletown, Connecticut, active since 2002. The core members are Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, who meet while studying at Wesleyan University and remain central to the group’s identity. The band also includes or has included touring and contributing members such as Hank Sullivant, Matt Asti, James Richardson, Will Berman and Simon O’Connor.

Formation and early releases

VanWyngarden and Goldwasser first work under the name The Management and record two demo EPs, later leaked online as Climbing to New Lows. They change the name to MGMT after discovering that another band already uses the earlier name. After signing to Cantora Records, they release the EP Time To Pretend, which helps them begin touring more widely once they have graduated from university. The band then signs to Columbia Records in 2006.

Studio albums

MGMT’s debut album, Oracular Spectacular, appears in 2007 and brings the band wider attention. Its second album, Congratulations, follows in 2010 and reflects a more developed sound. In 2013 the band releases its self-titled third album, MGMT, alongside The Optimizer, a visualizer designed to be played with the record; the album also includes a cover of Faine Jade’s “Introspection”. The group’s fourth album, Little Dark Age, arrives in 2018 and shows a return to a looser, more pop-oriented style. In 2024 the band releases Loss of Life, which includes the group’s first track featuring another artist, “Dancing in Babylon” with Christine and the Queens.

Style and development

MGMT is associated with alternative, indie, psychedelic and electronic music, and its sound develops over time from the earlier material toward more experimental production and later toward a more accessible pop form. The band is also connected with hypnagogic pop, indie pop, indie rock, indietronica, neo-psychedelia and new wave. After regrouping in 2015, the band works with producer Patrick Wimberly and opens its songwriting process to collaborations with other artists; Andrew VanWyngarden specifically credits Ariel Pink with helping him take a more relaxed, spontaneous approach.

Labels and later activity

After leaving Columbia, MGMT begins issuing music independently on its own label in 2019, starting with “In The Afternoon” and then “As You Move Through The World”. The group remains active and continues releasing music from its base in the United States.