Cory Stillman
When Katianne Timko and Khaled Tabarra formed MUNNYCAT in 2016, it was clear the duo would defy creative convention at every turn. And with their debut album till death do we art now out in the world, the indie pop band has made good on that promise.
The artists known as “K808” and “Khaledzou” have been dropping singles and mixtapes for years, but till death do we art offered them a unique opportunity to go beyond the music itself in forging a full-fledged artistic vision. As self-taught musicians and engineers, MUNNYCAT often rejects the classical rules of audio mixing, ignoring isolated frequencies and instead focusing on a song’s overall sound.
“There’s definitely some tweaking we continue to do as we get towards the end, but our version one is usually super close to the final,” says K808.
MUNNYCAT also set out to make “music feel human again” with this album, and so a physical vinyl was always going to be a priority for the duo. The vinyl edition of till death do we art is as innovative as the 18 tracks on it. Working with Pittsburgh-based Hellbender Vinyl, K808 and Khaledzou developed a 3D vinyl, the first of its kind. Listeners can use the transparent red-and-blue vinyl to view the album art three-dimensionally. As Khaledzou points out, “the idea itself started as a challenge to try and make every part of the record matter.”
Besides, as a pair of up-and-coming indie artists, MUNNYCAT understands the often unexpected ways in which fans can stumble upon their new favorite artist.
“We’ve discovered plenty of bands from crate digging in record stores just because their packaging was awesome,” says K808. “In our wildest dreams, someone will pick up the record because it’s cool and then discover they love the music, too.”
It is no wonder the album is now contending for Best Recording Package at this year’s Grammys, where it is also eligible for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Check out our full conversation with MUNNYCAT below to learn more about their singular work on till death do we art!
Hey MUNNYCAT! Excited to dive into your Grammy-submitted work. The title itself is basically a vow. What promise does till death we do art hold for you both personally?
K808: Art is what brought us together in the first place – it’s been built into the foundation of our relationship since the beginning. But this album is us committing to it in a whole new way. We got married in 2022 and lost one of our very best friends, Nick, to a hit-and-run in Denver not long after. Scattered among lots of denial, heartache, and anger, I saw Khaled develop this newfound sense of urgency to spend every second of his life doing what makes him happiest, which is to make things. Seeing his resilience has been beautiful, and it’s inspired me to do the same. It’s so much more than an album title to us.
Khaledzou: The promise is that we’ll always make stuff together. Big or small. Music, dinner, music videos, reorganizing the house – whatever. That’s our joy, so the vow is really just committing to do what makes us happiest forever.
You’ve been dropping singles and mixtapes for years, how does this debut album feel different?
Khaledzou: This is our first time releasing a full-length album together, and it’s the first time either of us has pressed physical vinyl. It’s been so much fun to build a whole world around our songs instead of just letting them live on their own. It feels extremely special.
K808: It’s easy to feel like you’re yelling into the void when you release something digitally. Having a record you can hold, that we can show people and feel those connections happen in real time, has made music feel human again. It feels worth celebrating.
Why was it important to you that the packaging and physical media weren’t just merch, but part of the art?
Khaledzou: We have a song on the digital edition of the record called “FULL BRONTO.” And even if you don’t know what it means, you kinda know what it means. Our mindset has always been to do it as well as you can or don’t do it at all. If we’re going to dive into the process of making vinyl, we really want to learn as much as we can about the process and see how we could do something a little extra with it.
K808: And we’ve discovered plenty of bands from crate digging in record stores just because their packaging was awesome. In our wildest dreams, someone will pick up the record because it’s cool and then discover they love the music, too. It’s just another opportunity to be creative, so we went for it. Full bronto, baby!! Let’s go!
How did you come up with the idea for the first-ever 3D vinyl, and what challenges did you overcome in making it real?
Khaledzou: The idea itself started as a challenge to try and make every part of the record matter. But it was only the first of many challenges. We spoke with tons of pressing plants, and they would say things like “It’s an awesome idea, but we should throw in a pair of 3D glasses just in case it doesn’t work.” After hearing that so many times, we really did begin to doubt whether or not it was possible.
K808: But, of course, we’d egg each other on and keep going. Eventually, we found the right partner in Hellbender Vinyl in Pittsburgh, PA. We got to tour the plant, hold the pellets, and take home samples we could design the 3D artwork from. But they couldn’t do a full visual test pressing to make sure that all of the parts would work together, so we just had to trust them. As someone who identifies so deeply with being DIY, letting go and trusting the process was ultimately the biggest challenge for me, personally.
What drew you to the “dead wax” concept of your vinyl as a metaphor for the album?
Khaledzou: For us, it underlines the whole thesis of the album. To take a part of the record nobody really cares about and turn it into the vehicle for viewing the artwork is just…hat-on-a-hat in the best way. And the idea that it’s called the dead wax while the album title is ‘till death we do art’ is the icing on the cake.
K808: I’d say you can’t make this sh*t up, but I suppose we did!
In what ways do you think your engineering style differs from more traditional studio albums?
K808: The mix is built into the track while we make it, which is a little unconventional. There’s definitely some tweaking we continue to do as we get towards the end, but our version one is usually super close to the final.
Khaledzou: We also don’t worry about most conventional rules of mixing. We’re self-taught, and even though we don’t want problem areas, we’re really focused on how the whole song sounds together instead of what the isolated frequencies are all doing.
What do you hope listeners feel after finishing the record front to back?
Khaledzou: We always say we make things for people who make things. So it’s our hope that when you’re done listening, you feel inspired to be a little more extra in your own art. To be a little weirder. To try doing something new that you weren’t sure you could do.
K808: I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
You’re submitted for Best Recording Package and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the Grammys. What do those categories mean to you?
Khaledzou: Those two specific categories mean so much to us because we truly love sound and visuals equally. They’re both inextricably linked to this record and to our identities as artists. To be considered for one and not both categories would feel incomplete.
K808: I also think it’s important to show younger artists that you don’t need to wait around to be discovered to make something you’re proud of. Love her to bits, but you don’t have to be Sabrina Carpenter in order to have your work acknowledged by your peers in a meaningful way. By getting involved and seeking out the categories that resonate with you the most, you can be a pop star on your own terms. I think that’s really cool, and so we’re just really excited to be in this conversation at all.
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