This Utrecht based Dutch ElectroPop band originally started out life as the “solo” project of singer/ keyboardist Anne Broekmans, who collaborated with her husband Maarten Besseling (known from In A Cabin With – taking on production) and Anne's brother Jesse (whom added bass and guitar to the whole) to create the self-titled Minus The Tiger [name came from the couple's cat Meines, which got killed by a car rather early in its life – hum...and if it was a “tiger” cat (you know what I mean) that gives yet another deep meaning to the name, eh?] album, which was released in 2012 through V2 records Benelux.
For live purposes, Anne recruited a guitarist, bassist and drummer, and as a band Minus The Tiger acquired a prestigious publishing deal with Canada's Megaphono, signed a booking deal with Full Spectrum, and not only played several tours and gigs in the Benelux, but also performed on Dutch national TV. They were selected to play at such showcase festivals as Canadian Music Fest and POPMontreal, and also toured through Canada, Turkey, and Russia...in the process of which they opened (or closed) for acts such as The XX, The Jezabels, and St. Vincent.
Meanwhile, the band [which is now composed of Anne on lead vocals and keyboards, Jos Terlingen on drums & backing vocals (he also helped out in co-writing the new material with Anne and her husband, who's the band's manager and producer), Ronald Straetemans on bass, backing vocals and additional synths (where needed), and Thanos Fotiadis on guitar and synths] shortened its name to the current one put together a new album, which have already found the band playing the Dutch Eurosonic/Noordeslag festival, the Belgian GLIMPS Showcase, the German Go West Festival followed by a 7-date German tour, and the Canadian Music Week (early May) followed by a 2-week tour throughout Canada. Coming home from thàt, the band already put in performances at Utrecht's Spring Festival and Festival Westplein. Mid June will see the band back on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean to play some shows in New York (among which two shows at the Northside Festival), but the band will be back in Holland on time to play 3 shows in different towns (Utrecht, Breda and Leiden) on Record Store Day (June 19)! I'm not sure what the band is up to next, but I'm certain they won't be resting on their laurels, and put in some extra shows and tours to promote their sophomore album.
Which brings us back to the musical side of things, which is said to have gotten a new perspective through the birth of Anne's first child (a girl) : an introspective one, at times somewhat melancholic. Still, the material is primarily a lighter one, as you can ascertain yourself by checking what's available at SoundCloud (pages for both albums). On the band's own (www.) mttband.com, it is stated that MTTmix up influences frm Kate Bush, Michael Jackson, The Knife and Portishead, and come up with something which sounds like a hybrid of Fever Ray, Baths, DIANA, Sohn, Kate Bush, and Polika. Now in that latter list, I only know the one already named in the first list, and I can state securely that Anne's voice only fleetingly resembles that of Kate, the former using a far more sedate style, and no high octave extravaganza. Musically, the music is primarily keyboard base, uses “minimal” but effective drumming, and still has room for an occasional electric guitar to come flashing through triumphantly. For the rest, make up your own minds...but I like this well enough! Perfect music for a Summer out on the porch (the album playing on a loop, of course).