''The name comes from Edvard Munch, and his sketch of the skeleton and the woman,'' bassist and vocalist Lucinda King tells me, her gentle voice fighting to be heard over blasting emo-core at a cafe.
''When I was in Berlin, I found a little book with that in it, ripped it out and kept it in my wallet, and I was just travelling with that picture. I actually completely forgot about the Verlaines song; it didn't even click.''
The trio, completed by Hope Roberston on guitar (Snapper, Bad Sav, Birdation) and Danny Brady on keys/synth (Snapper, Thought Creature), came together when King and Brady began flatting together in Wellington and started producing ''over-the-top exaggerated commercial pop songs''.
''We did a few gigs with, like, backing tracks, and it just felt like karaoke or something,'' Brady laughs.
''We decided we wanted a more live feel, so we brought in Hope.''
Although they have now turned away from the self-described commercial ''silliness'', the remnants of top 40-radio production can still be heard in the group's lush sound.
Based upon hypnotic, gliding synth loops which sound something like an early Grimes, Beach House and Cocteau Twins love-child tripping on British danceclub ecstasy, King's sweetened vocals lull the listener while Robertson's Focus Group-styled guitar leads keep things on edge.
It is a chic, sensual, and melodic electro that's propulsive enough to dance to, but works for nocturnal bedtime listening too.
With only a handful of roughly mixed tracks available on the internet so far, the band hopes to have an album or EP of finished material to coincide with a mid-year New Zealand tour.
''Because of how we work, we're basically always recording,'' Brady says.
''We are just at the stage now where we're trying to compile a bunch of material to put together.''
Of course, the usual constraints of musical perfectionism and lack of finances will affect proceedings.
Catch them
Death and The Maiden tonight at the 91 Club Night at Chick's Hotel, Port Chalmers, with Trick Mammoth and Males. Free entry with your 2013 Radio Onecard, $10 without.
The Chick's Hotel Magic Bus will depart Countdown at 8.30pm, the university library at 8.35pm and return to town at 1am. Free to ride with your 2013 Radio Onecard.
Listen to Death and the Maiden's new single and demo EP D&M via their bandcamp page, www.deathandthemaiden1.band camp.com/
