Bandmates 4 Eva

Name: Kim Ki O (Ekin Sanaç and Berna Göl)

Where They’re From: Istanbul, Turkey

When They Started: 2006

Genre: Electropop/Post-punk

Most Similar: Nite Jewel, Maria Minerva, MOR

Sounds Like: Neon Indian covering New Order

When musicians and high-school friends Ekin Sanaç and Berna Göl reunited after losing touch for years they could have made like normal people and spent an hour or two discussing which of their classmates were gaining weight or going prematurely bald. Instead, they took the less depressing route and started an experimental electropop band.

Ekin grabbed her synthesizer, Berna brought her bass, they programmed some beats into an old drum machine and they discovered their own gloomy-yet-poppy sound together as Kim Ki O. (The name means “who are they anyway?”) We are pretty sure they will be the barely-concealed envy of their high-school reunion.

Their slender tracks made from vintage synth and beats take on a dream pop quality from the members wispy vocals in Turkish. It’s lonely sounding stuff, great for spacing out and moping on those nights when everyone seems to be out of town. Their stalwart DIY ethic and beguiling sound have won them an international following. After self-releasing their first two albums on CD-R with handmade packaging, their third album Dans came out on Dutch label Enfant Terrible. Their fourth album Grounds will be released through France’s Lentonia Records in the Spring with a seven-inch single coming out this month. Sweden’s Jens Lekman, with whom they played on one of their European tours, is a fan.

As their musical collaboration continues, these old friends are sure to keep making new friends. Start getting to know them now.