Made once again in close collaboration with her TOPS bandmate David Carriere, the album moves freely between pop, glam rock, country and early-2000s nostalgia, while holding onto the mix of humour and emotional sincerity that made her debut so charming. Across twelve tracks, Cikojevic turns bad nights, old memories, heartbreak and Hollywood mythology into a world populated by chaotic princesses, angels, demons, telepathic lovers, Baywatch Barbies and, of course, the mysterious woman who gave the album its name. She is also celebrating the release with a deliciously decadent new video for “Chaotic Princess,” one of the record’s most gloriously over-the-top moments.

The title of the album comes from a real encounter Cikojevic had after moving from Montreal to Los Angeles in 2024. But as she explains below, Mask Lady and Late Night Girl eventually became about something much broader: the different versions of ourselves we show to the world, the ones we keep hidden, and all the contradictions in between.

A few days before the album’s release, we caught up with Marci to talk about its strange Hollywood origin story, flexing her vocal muscles, cheesy lyrics, cinema, dive bars, dream collaborations and the perfect soundtrack for a chaotic night out.

“The masks give us super powers but also give us something to hide behind.”

HighClouds: Your new album title comes from this woman you used to see around your neighborhood in LA, who you called “Mask Lady,” while she apparently knew you as “Late Night Girl.” Can you tell us a bit more about that encounter?

Marci: After I moved to Hollywood/Franklin Village at the beginning of 2024, I would see this sassy and sexy dressed iconic woman walking around with her mini purse and pin-up girl Halloween mask. I was dying to talk to her.

Finally, one night I was coming home from a party and worked up the courage to stop her and chat. I said, “Omg you’re Mask Lady! I think you’re so iconic, I love your look,” and she responded, “Oh hey, you’re Late Night Girl.”

To my surprise, I was also a character of the neighbourhood to her. I felt honoured.

Marci by Alex Joukouv

The title comes from that very specific encounter, but it also seems to sum up the whole mood of the record. How would you explain the concept of Mask Lady and Late Night Girl and what connects these songs together for you?

To me, these songs touch on duality: the past and the present, who I was and who I want to be, darkness and light.

The cover shows two people, wearing something that is covering their face, driving on. The masks give us superpowers but also give us something to hide behind.

On the cover and on the record, Late Night Girl is in the passenger seat, looking through the window and watching life go by, with the help of Mask Lady weaving through the traffic and getting us where we need to go.

There are so many larger-than-life images across the record: princesses, angels and demons, sci-fi, astrology, Baywatch, Miami Vice, Babylon. Do you naturally process your own experiences by turning them into something more theatrical or cinematic?

I love this question because it combines all the most epic words on the album haha.

I love drama and grandeur in art and storytelling. I think I enjoy making things a little more fantastical. I don’t think I process my experiences like that, but I probably make them sound way cooler than they are later lol.

Since you mention that love of drama and grandeur, who are some of your favourite directors?

I’m going to pick some new ones I’m excited about: Matt Johnson, Julia Ducournau, John Early, Joachim Trier, Jordan Peele, Robert Eggers and Denis Villeneuve.

Some all-time favs: Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, M. Night Shyamalan, Kubrick, The Wachowskis because The Matrix is literally the best. Steven Spielberg is so nostalgic for me. Wong Kar Wai was a first love.

What are your favourite lyrics on the album, and what makes them special to you?

I love the lyrics of “Lady with the Mask” because it felt like I was really there when I wrote them. Like I could feel the fear and sweat and danger and had imagined a whole scene.

But I also really love the lyrics of “Chaotic Princess” because they were so funny to write and immerse myself in, bratty style.

Marci by Allison Goldfarb

“She’s a little bit country, she’s a little bit rock and roll.”

You’ve said you wanted to try things on this album that you didn’t get to explore on Marci, what did you consciously want to push further this time around?

I wanted to try using my voice differently and push myself vocally. I also wanted to add more distorted guitars and write in other genres because she’s a little bit country, she’s a little bit rock and roll.

Which song on Mask Lady and Late Night Girl was the most challenging to make?

The ones that didn’t make the album 😂 Maybe they will make the next one 😉

You haven’t had a duet or featured guest on a Marci song yet. If you could pick anyone for a dream collaboration, who would it be?

I think it would be really cool to make a song with Nourished by Time.

Okay, also Spielberg was mentioned earlier and now I have so many John Williams themes running through my head. Wouldn’t that be the coolest, to make something huge and epic with John Williams?! Haha woooah.

When you’re making music, do you trust spontaneity or perfection more?

A balance of both!!

“Really cheesy lyrics are the best bad decision.”

What is your favourite bad decision in a pop song?

Literally when I say “where my heart used to be” in my own song “Butterfly Sticker”… It took me a minute to move forward with that line 😂.

So I guess really cheesy lyrics are the best bad decision.

When you and David are making a Marci song, how often are you actually talking about references? Are you saying “this should feel like Janet Jackson” or “this needs to sound like 2002,” or is that musical vocabulary more instinctive between you by now?

We do reference stuff, but we pick production aspects of certain songs that we like, and not the whole aesthetic. We like to mix different styles.

You’re both members of TOPS and you also work very closely with David on the Marci records. When you’re writing together, how do you know whether an idea belongs to TOPS or to Marci?

It’s usually pretty straightforward. If we’re working on Marci stuff, it’s Marci time, and if we’re jamming TOPS stuff, it’s with TOPS.

How do you manage those different creative processes in practice? Do you consciously switch into “Marci mode” when you start working on your solo music, or is the separation between the projects more fluid than that?

Definitely pretty fluid. I just love playing music and being creative as much as possible.

The main switch, I suppose, is when it’s Marci time I get to sing and work on flexing those muscles. So fun.

Marci by Justin Aranha

You moved from Montreal to Los Angeles between the two Marci albums. What feels most different about living and making music in those two cities? Do you think LA has changed the way you write or the kind of music you want to make?

LA is a workhorse in the way that there are constantly people working on music, and it rubs off on you in a good and bad way. It’s motivating but can make you feel overwhelmed.

Montreal feels a little more relaxed, but if you just chill out, LA can also be relaxed. I just got my own little studio space finally, so I’m chillin.

What does your ideal night out actually look like? Are you more into house parties, hanging out at a bar, dancing in a club, or something completely different?

Honestly, wherever the night takes me. But I do love a dive bar.

If you had to make the ultimate Marci party playlist, what are the first five songs going on it and why? And what would be the one song for the ride home at the end of the night?

Okay, we’re going to go in order of the night and you can make your own interpretations based on the song and title:

“Chaotic Princess” – Marci
“Lets Fucking Go Tonight” – Fireball Kid
“Lose Control” – Missy Elliott ft. Ciara
“It Feels So Good” – Sonique
“Memories” – David Guetta ft. Kid Cudi

And we’re saying goodbye with “Say Hello” by April Wine… cuz jk we coming back.

What are you obsessed with at the moment, outside of music?

Croatian cooking and my dog Pepa, always.

With Mask Lady and Late Night Girl, Marci takes everything that made her debut so easy to love and lets it get a little weirder. The synth-pop sparkle remains, but distorted guitars, pedal steel and glam-rock excess now sit comfortably alongside it, while songs like “Butterfly Sticker,” “Chaotic Princess,” “99 Dimensional” and “Lady with the Mask” reveal just how much room there is inside her pop universe.

More importantly, the album never forces its contradictions to resolve. Late Night Girl can keep the party going while Mask Lady quietly takes the wheel. A lyric can be ridiculously cheesy and completely sincere. A chaotic night can become funny in retrospect and still leave a bruise. Somewhere between those extremes, Marci has made a second record that feels unmistakably hers.

Mask Lady and Late Night Girl is out now.

Today, she is sharing “Liquid Heartbeat”, a track that takes Marci somewhere a little different as she leans into synth country. Co-written with David Carriere and Sean Nicholas Savage, the song pairs its boozy, freewheeling spirit with something more bittersweet, as partying and bravado become a way of keeping heartbreak at bay. Listen and watch the Elliot Weaver-directed video below.

Bury the Key is the group’s first full-length project since 2020, and it’s clear that their time apart pursuing solo endeavors has only sharpened their collective vision. This latest effort finds Jane Penny, David Carriere, Marta Cikojevic, and Riley Fleck leaning into a moodier, more textured sound — one that maintains their signature melodic charm while diving into deeper, sometimes darker emotional territory. The result is a record that lives in the tension between light and shadow, where glossy arrangements meet lyrics full of emotional nuance and contradiction.

Out today, “Chlorine,” perfectly captures this mood. The fact that chlorine is primarily used for disinfection but it is also an extremely reactive element sets the tone. At once nostalgic and toxic, the track evokes the bittersweet pull of bad habits and the people we can’t quite let go of. “At one point I was caught in a cycle of going out to the bar hoping that I would cross paths with a certain person who was not good for me but who I felt irresistibly drawn to,” shares Jane Penny. “I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where it’s very cold and I used to go to the pool a lot in the winter. It’s also where I first started going to bars to drink with my friends. I was thinking about alcohol and chlorine both being poison, thinking about all the people that I’ve tried to be close to that have ended up being bad for me, how I still love them all, and I wrote the song ‘Chlorine.’”

Catch TOPS on tour:

9/4 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
9/5 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
9/6 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile (EARLY SHOW)
9/8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
9/9 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
9/11 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada – Outdoor Stage
9/12 – Houston, TX @ Heights Theater
9/14 – El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace
9/15 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
9/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
9/18 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up
9/19 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
9/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
10/1 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
10/2 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
10/3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
10/4 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
10/6 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/7 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
10/8 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
10/9 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
10/11 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/14 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
10/16 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
10/17 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
10/18 – Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield
11/10 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns
11/11 – London, UK @ Heaven
11/13 – Dublin, IE @ Workmans Club
11/14 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
11/15 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
11/17 – Leeds, UK @ The Brudenell Social Club
11/18 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
11/20 – Kortrijk, BE @ Wilde Westen
11/21 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere
11/22 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
11/23 – Vlaardingen, NL @ De Kroepoekfabriek
11/24 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher
11/26 – Berlin, DE @ Neue Zukunft

TOPS‘ “ICU2” is a a playful back-and-forth

Now, with their new single “ICU2,” TOPS step into a bold new phase, marking their debut on Ghostly International, after years of self-releasing and working with beloved Canadian indie label Arbutus. The track, debuted recently at Coachella, is everything we love about them: glimmering, flirtatious, elevated pop full of understated drama. Written as a playful back-and-forth between Penny and Cikojevic, “ICU2” drapes its flirtations in mystery. Beneath its catchy grooves lies a surreal tension, inspired by the psychedelic party scene in Midnight Cowboy (1969). “Almost like a caper, fantastical, like you’ve been caught searching for something in the dark,” says Penny, evoking that same hazy, dreamlike chaos where fantasy and reality blur. It’s a dazzling return and for sure there is more coming soon.

Watch the “ICU2” video, courtesy of director of photography Frankie Ray, below.

TOPS‘ Marta Cikojevic continues to soar solo as Marci, with another comforting vintage bop in the shape of “Stop.” Produced by longtime collaborator David Carriere, the delightful track is about the relatable “naughty thoughts that get stuck in your head.”

Flip on a televised news broadcast, read the newspaper headlines—it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be assaulted with a non-stop parade of bad. At least that’s what it has felt like in recent memory, and it’s taking its toll on everyone. And while it is fully understandable, warranted, and expected for musical artists to release albums of songs written to help us process and make sense of our current sociopolitical conditions, kudos must also go to those who seek to give us a temporary respite from the mental-exhaustion that is our modern everyday existence. We’ve seen this very recently, for example, with Lizzo‘s disco-funk affirmation Special and Beyoncé‘s tour-de-dance Renaissance, two very different albums that may make some important statements about “life” and “the world,” but are perhaps more concerned with just giving people a damn good time.

That was certainly the goal for Marci, the self-titled solo debut from keyboardist Marta Cikojevic of Montreal’s TOPS, an album that sits confidently among our very favorites of the year. To quote Cikojevic from the release announcement, “I wanted to make people happy. I wanted to make people feel like they could dance even when there was negativity.” It’s a great reminder, especially at a time when it’s so easy to get bogged down by despair, but also: she was not kidding. As Marci, Cikojevic has put together a superb collection of irresistible, catchy, and just-plain-fun pop tunes that make you want to let go and move. No, you probably won’t be dripping sweat to it in a club, but this is most definitely a vibe that encourages you to take up just a little more of your surrounding space—even its mellowest moments consist of the kind of slow jam that makes it difficult not to close your eyes and sway (see Carly Rae Jepsen‘s “All That”).

Produced in close collaboration with TOPS guitarist David Carriere, Marci certainly shares some similarities with the sophisto-pop of their full-time project, but here the influences are broader and more varied (more on this below). Jazzy guitar chords and smooth, glossy synths provide the soft-rock foundation, but Cikojevic and Carriere also incorporate r&b, funk, and disco elements into their vision. Part of the fun, for lack of a better phrase, is in hearing what you hear—that opening riff sounds like Aja-era Steely Dan, that groove feels like Thriller-era Michael Jackson. But make no mistake: rather than mere pastiche or patchwork, Marci is a successful synthesis of many decades and genres, well-studied and well-loved.

In the leadup to the album release date (today!), we got the chance to chat with Cikojevic via email where we discussed songwriting, collaboration, and influence (and where I briefly fixate over her obsession-worthy vocal stylings in the track “Terminal”). Check out our conversation below (lightly edited for flow and readability), and afterward, flip on this album, kick it up a little louder than usual, grab yourself a martini, and be happy. ?

Marci by Samuel Houston

HighClouds: Hi Marta! Many thanks for chatting with us. You have crafted an incredibly fun album full of classic, timeless pop. Who were some of your biggest musical influences when making this album?

Marta Cikojevic: It’s always hard to answer this question because there is so much, so I’ll pick three songs: Brandy – “Full Moon,” Rodney Crowell – “Ain’t No Money,” and The S.O.S. Band – “Just Be Good to Me.”

I had never listened to Rodney Crowell before—wow, what a great tune. Reminds me of the poppier side of Tusk-era Fleetwood Mac, which is certainly a vibe I can detect in your album (had they embraced late-70s funk). I also hear moments of Michael Jackson on occasion, sometimes in a melody and other times in the vocal harmonies.

Thank you!! That’s a great compliment. And yes, Rodney is a great writer. He wrote a lot of songs for different artists. There are some other really good songs on that record too: “Oh What a Feeling,” “Ashes By Now,” and “Queen of Hearts”.

I’ll check those out right away. How would you describe your style or your album to someone who hasn’t heard it?

I’d say it’s feminine, smooth, and peppy. A sexy candle-lit dinner with your friends, you’re wearing that new diamond choker you bought, and you’re on your 3rd martini…

Well, now I know how I’m going to spend the evening when the LP arrives, haha. Were you writing songs with that vision/feeling/goal in mind, or did that come later in the arranging/producing process? Did you do much experimenting with taking certain songs in “different” directions?

Haha, excellent. ?

I definitely had that feeling in mind! Yes, we experimented with a couple of songs, but the one that changed the most was “Deeper Shade of Blue.” It was originally more of a ballad, and we turned it into something more upbeat.

The press release mentioned that you’ve never formally written songs before. Could you tell me a bit about your songwriting process and your collaborative partnership with David Carriere?

I always write on keys, and I find I start with the chorus of a song and build around it. I record everything at every step of the way and piece it together, listen back and then play again, keeping in mind the vocal melodies popping in and out. And then hopefully there is a demo there that I can show David, haha. David is my favourite, I love working with him. The project started after I sent him some of my demos—he called me up and said, “Come to Montreal and make a record with me.” So I packed up and moved! Some of the funnest times I’ve had was making this record. David is an extremely talented songwriter and knows exactly how to make things sound good. Writing with him is very fun and easy, and I can’t wait to make more with him.

That sounds like a lovely creative partnership. What’s the first thing you discuss after showing David a demo?

Usually we discuss what parts of it are good and what parts could be better. Also, how we want to record it in regards to what mood we want to give off; which instruments will carry the track.

What surprised you the most in the process of writing and producing your own songs? What did you learn about yourself?

My voice! I was scared to use it and didn’t know what I could do with it! I’m excited to keep learning more about it and exercising it.

Your voice is like a dream! I find that there are little vocal moments throughout that I really look forward to hearing upon repeat listening. Just to cite a few examples from “Terminal” alone—the r&b trill on “I gotta moooooove” followed by the sighing breathiness of “into the grooooove,” the harmonies at the end of the chorus “makes me feeeel sweeeet,” the emotion of “there’s no way to choose, yeah!” and that quick descending run of “and let me burn on do-o-own.” Do you tend to parse your songs and look for different ways of using your voice, or do those moments happen more organically as you’re writing and/or rehearsing?

Thank you so much!!! Yes I definitely try to match my voice to the song. But it usually comes organically during the writing process. There are some new Marci songs (currently being recorded) where I am pushing myself in a new way/style that I have to work a little harder for… Heh it’s fun.

Oh good, I’m very glad there are more Marci songs to look forward to. What were the biggest challenges you faced putting your debut together?

Settling on a track listing was hard, haha.

Hard because you weren’t sure how to order the songs, or because you had more songs to choose from?

They all stood on their own, so it was difficult to arrange them so they blend into each other and tell a story. But I think we did a good job.

Absolutely. What do you love about making music?

I love that it inspires me to learn and evolve. It’s also very cathartic.

Marta, congratulations on a wonderful debut and thanks again for taking the time to e-chat! Hope to see you perform live one of these days. 🙂

Thank you so much!! It was lovely to chat. And I hope to see you at a show one day too. 🙂

Also known under the electronic and ambient moniker Project Pablo, Montreal’s Patrick Holland reintroduces himself on his new album You’re The Boss. On his first “guitar-driven” project, the musician and producer explores the unnamed, pseudo-paranormal “other” through an upbeat indie pop lens. The record, which features vocal contributions from the likes of Jane Penny, David Carriere, and Marta Cikojevic [from TOPS], is introduced by “Sinister Bell.” Listen and pre-order below.

A few weeks ago, TOPS‘s Marta Cikojevic made her solo debut as Marci with the track “Entertainment.” The artist is now back with a new single, “Immaterial Girl,” which precedes the release of her debut album. “I wanted to make people happy. I wanted to make people feel like they could dance even when there was negativity,” Cikojevic explains about the self-titled record. Crafted in collaboration with her bandmate David Carriere, Marci also features contributions from the likes of Mitch Davis, Rene Wilson, Austin Tufts (Braids) on drums, Chloé Soldevila (Anemone), Adam Byczkowski (Better Person) as well as TOPS‘ Jane Penny on backing vocals.

Listen to the delightfully retro new single, watch the Chloé Soldevila-directed video, and pre-order the album via Bandcamp below.