Tiger + Man

It’s easy to hit play on thumping, optimistic club jams before going out on a Friday night, but some of us like something a little more introspective to start our weekends. If tonight has you feeling more intergalactic space out than Top 40, you’ll want to add Tiger + Man to your pre-party playlist, stat. Comprised of Tiger Darrow and Andrew Orkin, the Brooklyn-based duo’s debut EP is an electro-acoustic gem, equal parts sparkling pop and ethereal soul-searching. In other words, just our vibe.

“′Wondering’ is a song about the push-and-pull of infatuation,” the duo says of their debut single, premiering here. “Its video uses the silhouettes of shadowy, manic dancers to play up the contrast between light and dark, mellow and electric.” After throwing a few ideas around, we felt that a dance piece would be the perfect way to embody something so familiar in a physical way. The movement, light, and lyrics all come together to express the cautious, roundabout ways we approach someone we want.” - NYLON Magazine

Although the track "I've Got Nothing" from Brooklyn-based duo Tiger and Man begins with a tranquil, angelic voice and soft keyboard, less than a minute in, it explodes into a slightly fuzzed, electro-pop anthem. Vocalist Tiger Darrow powerfully sings "You're a wolf with your hungry eyes / I've heard stories you could hypnotize," as grainy synthesizers, percussion, and bass layer on top of the keyboard. Premiering below is the stop motion video for the single, which comes from the duo's self-titled debut EP (out this Friday, March 25).

"‘I've Got Nothing' covers a broad range of subject matter when compared to most of our songs," Darrow and Orkin say. "For us, the easiest way to define the lyrical content is the idea of someone or something that exhausts everything you have, leaving you with nothing left to give. We used the production and instruments to heighten the frustration, defeatism, and exhaustion in the lyrics."

The video, created by Colin Marchon, echoes the range of the lyrics. From cutouts of schoolteachers to politicians and suburban families straight out of the '80s, the video becomes a psychedelic montage when a seahorse emerges from a New York City subway station and a fish swims above cars driving in the middle of a metropolitan skyline. "I had this dream where I took the train to a weird undiscovered part of Brooklyn...and I go to this psychedelic zoo where I get to pet seacats—not catfish—and other post-revolutionary animals," Marchon explains. "It made a lot of sense in the context of the song, which has this dual nature, and I wanted to contrast this amazing imaginary place with its antithesis: an equally twisted but readily available suburbia."

Darrow and Orkin gave Marchon carte blanche, and the resulting video bled into the album artwork. "We created a small collective around our music, giving five painters complete freedom in their creation of our five individual pieces of album art," the two explain. In addition to stimulating visuals by various artists, Tiger and Man was mixed by Grammy Award winner Scott Jacoby (Vampire Weekend, John Legend) and mastered by Grammy-nominated Emily Lazar (David Bowie, Björk). From start to finish, the writing and recording process is collaborative and the duo fleshes out songs with "rare classic synthesizers and old analogue gear" at recording and composing company Fall On Your Sword's Brooklyn studios.

Despite the overarching electronic sound, they continue to say: "We tried to be purists about straying from using computerized sounds as much as possible. On the rare occasion that we did use virtual, computerized instrument, we usually ran the sounds through amplifiers or guitar effects to give them a bit of grit and edge." - Interview Magazine

Rivaling Sade in musical sophistication and loungy atmospheres, Tiger + Man is a Brooklyn based electronic duo with a very artsy approach to music. Formed by Austin-raised Tiger Darrow and South African-born Andrew Orkin, the project is about to release a self produced EP featuring artwork by five different visual artists, but for the video of single 'Wondering' (streaming below) the duo went for artists from a different discipline: dance. The choice works perfectly, with the dancers' expressive moves becoming one with Darrow's sinuous vocals and the band sparse but rhythmically intriguing arrangements. - The Deli Magazine

Tiger and Man is the brainchild of Andrew Orkin and Tiger Darrow. Their first offering is a five track self-titled EP that deals heavily with the emotions that bubble up in troubled relationships. More importantly, the EP is crammed with original music and, subsequently, surprises.

Darrow’s voice will undoubtedly be the first thing you’ll notice. Verses often see her owning the spotlight with only morsels of hushed synthesizers for company. It’s an astoundingly beautiful voice due to Darrow’s melodic ability but also in equal part thanks to her ability to convey emotions. Throughout the album extended moments of restrained electronic ambience give the voice room to roam wherever it may please.

While Tiger and Man features a significant amount of synthesizer and drums it’s all applied with a very light hand. Synths fade in and out mostly for added colour while drums make a sparse appearance. These elements show restraint in favour of Darrow and Orkin’s strengths- the voice and guitar.

The real twist in the tale is Orkin’s use of the electric guitar in all its over-driven glory. It adds devilry to what might otherwise have been a lackadaisical offering. Fuzzed up chords leap out at you from nowhere in ‘I’ve Got Nothing’ and elevate the sensation of desperation. Sometimes it’s less obtrusive, fulfilling an ambient role. It’s easier to think of it as a character than an instrument. Every good story needs its antagonist, and for Tiger and Man that over-driven guitar is a welcome adversary in the crystal clear narrative.

What strikes me here is that these elements culminate to create songs that nail down very specific emotions. It shies away from generalised ideas and vagueness to tell a very specific story. In ‘It’s Going to be Alright’ I am convinced that the words being sung are from someone who wants to believe that things will be resolved but do not fully believe that themselves. Another example is the end of ‘Lay Me Down.’ You can practically hear the door slamming as she sings resignedly for the final time, “I know how this goes.” It’s uncommonly personal and direct.

Few acts are better named than Tiger and Man. The inherent duality of their relationship is also their greatest strength. The depth of very human emotions is coupled with the wildness, savagery and unpredictability of a wild beast to produce a heart-rending tale of personal grief. It’s brilliant. - Texx and the City

Since I’ve been on Submithub I’ve seen a whole lot of different submissions. Some great, some not so great, and plenty that don’t fit this blog at all, but once in awhile you manage to unravel a true gem. Composed of Tiger Darrow and Andrew Orkin, T I G E R + M A N seek to marry the worlds of acoustic and electronic music and I think they’ve done a great job here with this chillwave tune. Mellow out on this weekday night to this gem. - Salacious Sound

Tiger + Man’s debut track “Wondering” has piqued our interest – it has a great female lead (Tiger is her actual name) and juxtaposes her soft vocal timbre with bold electric guitar that’s just a little rough around the edges. Maybe that’s a nod to the kind of man she’s singing about; often soft spoken and gentle women are inexplicably attracted to stuck-up half-witted scruffy looking nerfherders. Or I could be digging too far into things.

Skipping and grinding, flickering and sailing, the massively textured instrumentals are so varied and (sometimes) fleeting, it’s not like anything you’ve heard in recent memory.

And with a handful of already-made pieces of artwork on their website, we’re hopeful for at least a debut EP, if not a lot more. - Indie Trendsetters

Tiger + Man is a two-piece collaboration between Tiger Darrow and Andrew Orkin. Darrow hails from Austin while Orkin is originally from South Africa and both bring their own influences to the table, creating a song that spans genres from electronic to acoustic. This first single, ‘Wondering,’ explores the nature of uncertain relationships.

‘Wondering’ finds its anchor in Tiger’s voice, comprising of equal parts fragility and melody. Verses see her embellish upon the aforementioned uncertainties, the titular word chanted like a mantra. Her vocal faithfully conveys the vulnerability that the lyrics are crying out for.

A sparse beat with a snare sample reminiscent of that in Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ punctuates the verse along with swelling synthesizers that come and go as they please. Vintage overdriven guitar chords make brief appearances, adding an edge to the otherwise peaceful song structure. Seemingly opposed musical elements are set at odds with each other to create a pleasing sense of tension.

Where the verses teeter on a mix of two styles, the chorus marries them completely. I don’t think that I’ve ever heard electric guitar used in this manner on this kind of music before. From ambient background noise to chordal stabs it adds an exciting new dimension to the electronically oriented material. It’s an eclectic journey, balancing the sweetness of the singer and synth with the darkness of overdriven guitar. While this certainly does not constitute a rock label it demonstrates a firm grasp of what a song wants.

‘Wondering’ is a feast of light touches. With this track, Tiger + Man demonstrates the power of relationships, both personally and musically. - Texx and the City

Moving on to the video front, Tiger + Man premiered its first-ever song/video via Nylon. The Brooklyn-based duo features the Dallas-sprung Tiger Darrow and her recording partner Andrew Orkin making spacey-yet-accessible electro-acoustic pop music that's likely to find an audience with Top 40 audiences without losing any of its credibility in the process (see: St. Vincent). - Central Track

Tiger + Man -- s/t EP.

RIYL: St. Vincent so much you've worn through the grooves on your Strange Mercy vinyl.

What else you should know: Like Sarah Jaffe before her, singer-songwriter Tiger Darrow has changed things up quite a bit since her acoustic guitar days. Her current project, a collaboration with film-scorer Andrew Orkin, blends the electronic and acoustic worlds rather seamlessly. For her part, Tiger sucks you in with her outstanding vocal abilities, waiting until you stop to really admire them to whack you with a burst of mangled, St. Vincent-like guitar lines. - Central Track

Brooklyn based duo Tiger + Man are preparing to unleash a self titled debut EP upon the world, and they’ve given us a taste of their electro-acoustic magnificence on ethereal first single, Wondering. Their debut is a downtempo pop and chillwave soul song whose murky beats linger like a welcome specter within its soft, seductive folds. Crystalline vocals waft luxuriantly through that dreamy soundscape, accompanied by gritty electronics bristling with restless brooding. Watch the accompanying video for Wondering below. - I Heart Moosiq

Introducing Brooklyn, NY based duo called Tiger + Man, comprised of Austin hailing singer/songwriter Tiger Darrow and South African born Andrew Orkin. They met back in 2012 while working on other musical projects but this is their pinnacle and we love them for having sent us the appetizer in the form of their self-titled debut EP, recorded at famed facility Fall On Your Sword studios in Brooklyn, NY.

You’ll also enjoy the collective approach to their art, which in their own words is another excuse to collaborate with like minded talented individuals. The result is the complete set of stunning cover artworks they’ve been commissioning from five artists hailing from Johannesburg, Cape Town, New York and Texas. Artists Joe Voysey, Alexandra Karakashian, Jason Stallings, Deanna Smith and Liona Robyn’s visually delve into the contrasting elements of the EP.

Talking of the self-titled EP. We were introduced to a delicate world of dark magical soul and organic soundscapes transcribed by gritty electronica on “I've Got Nothing” and those synths are just to die for. - Sodwee