(2002-2005) College days. First demo album. Time To Pretend EP

In 2002, MGMT were originally named The Management. The two members, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWynggarden met in their first year at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. They both shared an interest in similar music, and they experimented with noise and electronica before settling into their psychedelic pop sound through out the years. "We weren't trying to start a band," remarked Goldwasser. "We were just hanging out, showing each other music that we liked." Ben and Andrew both graduated from university in 2005. 

"Climbing to New Lows" was a demo album, that inadvertently became the first full album release of The Management. It was also their last release as The Management. In 2004. It was intended only as a demo album, but leaked on to the Internet in 2005.

The group had changed their name to MGMT, since The Managment name was already being used by another band. They signed with Cantora Records for their first official release, the Time To Pretend EP on August 30, 2005. They toured extensively in support of the Time To Pretend EP by opening for the indie rock band of Montreal. They toured as a five-piece, with Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Hank Sullivant making up the touring band.

A track entitled "Kids (Afterschool Dance Megamix)" appears on the album Climbing To New Lows (2005). Which was later put on their album "Oracular Spectacular" (2007)  It was instrumentally altered, and named to just "Kids" and put on the Time To Pretend album, along with the song itself Time To Pretend.


Ben and Andrew performing "This Must Be The Place" (Talking Heads) Filmed 4/20/03 on Zonker Harris day at Wesleyan University.

Kids (Afterschool Dance Megamix)

Time To Pretend on Jools Holland (2008)