18+ is an American band consisting of musicians and visual artists Justin Swinburne and Samia Mirza.[1][2]
18+ | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles |
| Genres | Alternative R&B |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Houndstooth |
| Members | Justin Swinburne Samia Mirza |
| Website | eighteenpl |
History and career
Having met at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Swinburne and Mirza launched the 18+ project in 2011 under anonymous pseudonyms. Their first recordings, a trilogy of mixtapes entitled M1xtape, Mixta2e, and Mixtap3, were launched online under the anonymous titles of 'Boy' and 'Sis'.[2][3]
Much of the band's lyrical content concerns sex.[4][5] Mirza commented on this: "I don't ever think the way we represent sex is explicitly sexy; we're not trying to seduce. We're playing up to roles we still see in music today."[3]
In August 2014, 18+ released their first single, "Crow"/"Horn", on London nightclub Fabric's record label Houndstooth.[6] This was followed by their debut album, Trust, which was released on Houndstooth in November 2014.[2][7] Killian Fox, writing in The Observer, said of the album "Trust moves at a stoned pace, oozing sex and a glitchy sense of unease, though it’s never clear whether it’s critiquing its excesses or revelling in them."[8]
The band's follow-up single, "Dry",[9] was released on Houndstooth on 23 February 2015.
In January and February 2015, 18+ toured Trust in the US and Europe,[10] including dates in Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris.
Discography
Studio albums
- Trust (2014), Houndstooth
- Collect (2016), Houndstooth
Mixtapes
- M1xtape (2011) - download only
- Mixta2e (2012) - download only
- Mixtap3 (2013) - download only
- Fore (2016) - download only
Singles
- "Crow"/"Horn" (2014), Houndstooth
- "Dry" (2015), Houndstooth