Mikaela Oppenheimer used to be in the Brooklyn emo band Hello Mary, while Hayden McGarvey is a former member of the Philadelphia shoegaze crew Bleary Eyed. The two of them got to know each other when their bands toured together in 2024, and now they've joined forces to form Trusselina, a new duo whose music doesn't sound anything like their previous two bands.
Trusselina quietly released a live recording last year, but their new two-song single basically marks their debut. Their tracks "Gastro" and "Trusselina Archimboldi" are glitchy, skittering electro-folk bedroom pop. They take simple, pretty elements like harmonies and acoustic guitar strums, and then they warp them all to hell, interrupting them with weird effects and rushing breakbeats and sudden bursts of digital distortion. It's a very of-the-moment sound that recalls groups like ear and Bassvictim, and I think it's pretty fun.
Regarding "Trusselina Archimboldi," Oppenheimer says, "Hayden made the beat in the van when he was touring in France. He threw up in a McDonald's right after and ended up having food poisoning for 48 hours." The act of making the beat probably didn't directly cause the McDonald's barfing or the ensuing sickness, but human bodies are mysterious things so don't rule it out. Hear both tracks below.
Trusselina will debut more new music when they play New York's Night Club 101 on Sep. 17.
