Mozart’s Sister – “Mozart’s Sister” Video

Montreal’s Caila Thompson-Hannant is Mozart’s Sister. Mozart’s Sister’s lead single’s title? “Mozart’s Sister”! It’s a cheery-sounding burst of ’80s pop (her bio name-checks Cyndi and Kylie) meshed with ’50s girl-group callback flair, and some very contemporary electronic production filigree (her bio also name-checks scenemates tUnE-yArDs and Grimes) — a catchy, feel-good thing, for the point in the party when the girls get drunk enough to make a dancing circle and sing to each other. But back to that project/title name, though: As a listener, when you encounter a project/title track, you have to consider the possibility that you are listening to that artist’s spiritual mission statement, and “Mozart’s Sister” appears to be just that — lyrics about always being #2 (“feeling like Mozart’s sister,” which was a pretty bum ticket in the genetic lottery), and a video casting Caila as the ho-hum, quirky also-ran to her backing singers’ appearance as more “conventionally attractive” ciphers. Forgive my doing it, but a Google search of “Mozart’s Sister Lena Dunham” turned up only this blog post reviewing the films Mozart’s Sister and Tiny Furniture. That’s likely to change, though, because this track and clip do their job well — Caila seems smart, self-aware, and willing to play with vanity and identity via appealing art, and “Mozart’s Sister” is an earworm, and the video features lots of outfits.