MAMI UMAMI drops ‘AFTERwork’ EP

Rising from Malmö’s underground music sphere, MAMI UMAMI is a project formed by Jaquelin Elamiri, known as Miss Mami, and Leonard Furby, a duo who create music that reflects the speed, tension and emotional fragmentation of hyperconnected modern life. Their sound moves through hip hop, pop, club music, punk and drum and bass, eschewing any fixed identity in favour of creative collision and constant movement.

Malmö itself feels intrinsically linked tp the project’s identity; the duo’s music carries the atmosphere of the city’s concrete landscapes and energy, capturing both the claustrophobia and strange freedom of urban existence. Their songs feel informed by systems constantly pressing inward; surveillance, burnout, routine and overstimulation all drift through the emotional sound of their work.

Having started as a loose collective operating out of a rat-infested industrial basement, they’ve since developed into a tightly focused act driven by friction, spontaneity and adventurous creative momentum. That stripped-back core continues to influence the way they work now, where ideas move quickly and imperfections remain intact. They first introduced that sonic world in 2022 with debut single “MONKEYFUNK,” returning the following year with a string of well-received singles while linking up with the likes of Yasmin Amoura, MILL€, Diza Guava and Shake Norrisen on collaborative tracks.

By the time their debut album Söndagsångest landed in 2024, MAMI UMAMI had already confirmed their status as one of the more unpredictable and compelling live acts coming out of Sweden’s alternative music landscape. Now, the energy of their live shows carries into AFTERwork, the duo’s new EP released through the Big Wednesday imprint, home to artists such as Joshua Idehen and Bad With Phones.

Thematically, the EP dissects contemporary capitalist life through the perspective of two young adults drifting between routine, escapism and the search for meaning within systems designed to exhaust them. Malmö’s cultural landscape shapes the emotional tone of the EP, which imagines modern life almost as an open-air prison where freedom always feels tantalisingly close but never fully attainable.

The seven-track outing kicks off with “PAPER,” which forms with stacks of overlapping vocal layers before the crash of rolling drums injects a lively energy that sees the track glide through potent alternative pop, bursts of grooving experimental hip hop and jazz-inflected detours. “Conor” combines absurd one-liners and internet-informed context, exploring ideas of belonging, responsibility and the ways many young people search for connection within club spaces and nightlife communities. Within its raucous energy and sonic sits a deeper reflection on isolation, resulting in an engrossing, high-octane jam packed full of twists and turns.

“VideoAudio” drifts with pulsing synth textures and soft vocals before jumping into an uptempo dance-focused scene brimming with slick beats and infectious vocal elements. “PIRAJA” shakes with gritty synth wobbles, bouncy vocal lines and charging percussion to deliver a gripping musical experience unlike any other. With “belly dancer,” MAMI UMAMI leans into their dance pop side with a club-driven track that flows with energising rhythm and constantly shifting vocal styles.

On “Choir Machine,” the eerie sweep of hypnotic synth tones and bubbling, processed vocalisations tumbles into a heavily swung groove to serve up a wildly unique and oddly mesmeric moment. Closing the EP with “PAPER 2.0,” the stutter of chopped vocals gives way to the rumble of deep low end and intense vocals ring out above and crunchy percussion rattles, taking listeners on a thrilling sonic voyage that flows through passages of sonic intensity towards a dreamy finale. With AFTERwork, MAMI UMAMI continue deconstructing various genres and reassembling them in exciting new ways, staking their claim as a groundbreaking project offering a sound that needs to be heard to be believed.

Listen to AFTERwork below