Biography

Gamblers formally introduced itself with the release in 2020 of Small World, which was praised by outlets like PopMatters and Newsday and landed single airplay on Sirius XM, NPR Music, and WFUV. Frontman Michael McManus’s kaleidoscopic pop sensibility is the through-line—from the beatific, soaring harmonies of “Give Yourself Into Love” to the wistful psychedelia of “Corinthian Order”—but the songs are also replete with references to mental illness, violence, and personal tragedy. “Tug of War” addresses the struggle of trying to balance being an artist with being a good person, while “Blood Sport” is a bubblegum pop song written from the perspective of a family dealing with a loved one in the throes of addiction. The new EP, When We Exit, can be understood as a bridge between Small World and an in-progress second Gamblers LP, which is already in the mixing stage. The goal was to put a new spin on preexisting songs and essentially “A&R” the album from a hip hop standpoint. Thus, the EP contains skeletal remnants of five songs from Small World, remixed and thoroughly reimagined in a studio in Ridgewood, Queens. Small World’s airy, lush title track, now called “Preach Your Love,” morphs into a ghostly electro-pop banger, and “Bound 2 Be Together” is deconstructed with technicolor synths and pounding ’80s snares fit for a John Hughes soundtrack.