In 2021, ME REX —the London-based band led by songwriter Myles McCabe— released Megabear, a wild, compositionally-complex concept record.

Their debut LP was a single suite of 52 tracks, almost all of which were 32 seconds long, that could be played in any order, seamlessly joining together in any sequence.

It was a unique undertaking: one, long shapeshifting song that was, at the same time, a gaming of the streaming system. Or as McCabe puts it: "this heist of the tiny royalty that you get from Spotify, and also an artistic intervention drawing attention to that."

Two years later, ME REX are back with their second album, Giant Elk, a sincere set of songs laced with grief and catharsis.

In conversation with Anthony Carew on The International Pop Underground, Myles McCabe talks the "futility" of juicing your streaming numbers, ME REX's dinosaur-themed titles, and songwriting as a form of connection.

Feature image: Benjamin Whitley