mxdwn PREMIERE: Rush Week Pay Homage to MJ on Retro-Tinged New Song “Be Like Mike”

While the lyrics of Rush Week’s new song “Be Like Mike,” which we are premiering today, don’t directly address wanting to be like Michael Jackson, it’s vintage aesthetic is a loving homage to the classic pop of the 80s. With catchy female vocals, warm synth tones and a simple song structure, the song is a great introduction to the Philadelphia duo.

“‘Be Like Mike’ was an attempt to pay tribute so vintage era Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson – where the melodies just seemed to float on air! Those compounding melodies that they did so well, no doubt with the help of Jimmy Jam / Terry Lewis / Quincy Jones – we wanted to try and do that same sort of thing but with a modern context along our own aesthetic. It’s arguably the catchiest thing that Rush Week has.”

The band, which is made up of members Rachel K. Haines and producer James Benjamin Thomas, has their new album coming out this month, April 6 to be precise. It’s out on Elefant Records and it mixes up R&B, pop and disco into a palatable indie pop package.

1. “Feelings”
2. “Stranger Danger”
3. “Crush”
4. “Be Like Mike”
5. “Under The Gun”
6. “Barcelona”
7. “Slide”
8. “Young”
9. “Last Dance”
10. “Better Off”

Matt Matasci: Music Editor at mxdwn.com - matt@mxdwn.com | I have written and edited for mxdwn since 2015, the same year I began my music journalism career. Previously (and currently) a freelance copywriter, I graduated with a degree in Communications from California Lutheran University in 2008. Born on the Central Coast of California, I am currently a few hundred miles south along the 101 in the Los Angeles area. matt@mxdwn.com
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