Artist Selects: Mamalarky
All Photography by Sara Cath
I had been seeing Mamalarky’s name on lineups all over LA and had heard such great things about the band from my homies in Guppy and Sophie from Luna Collective. I finally got to see Mamalarky play at Rosie Tucker’s insanely well-curated residency at Bootleg Theater back in November 2019.
Since then, I’ve been absolutely hooked on their infectious psych rock/pop sound. After spending two years of working on their self-titled debut album, Mamalarky is set to release it via Fire Talk on November 20th! I’ve been bumping their latest released tracks “Schism Trek” and “How to Say” on repeat. I had the honor of having a fun conversation with them for TRASH MAG’s Artist Selects series where I also asked them to share what they’ve been listening to with us.
Listen here to “Mamalarky Selects” while you read the Q&A.
How and when did this band form?
Michael, Livvy, and Dylan formed as a trio in Austin in 2016. Then we moved out west to LA where we met Noor in 2019, and just recently we’ve moved to Noor’s hometown in ATL! Kind of a whirlwind geographically. In terms of how we formed, I had just written some songs and when me and Michael and Dylan played them together it was fun and sounded good so we kept doing it.
Austin is known for its great music scene and BBQ. As a band from Austin that is now based in LA, how would you compare the two scenes and what are some other things that LA just can't top when it comes to Austin?
LA is definitely just a more career centric city and that’s reflected in all the creative fields. It’s really inspiring because people can really build steam there. Austin has way more bands that will only play 5 shows but sound way more original, they definitely have some special BBQ sauce running in the water.
And the tired, age-old question, how did the band name come about?
My roommate Lana was brainstorming names with us as we were rehearsing, which they kindly let us do in their bedroom using their drum set for like 2 years. Anyway they were kind of just experimenting with words that reminded them of us and then we chewed on Mamalarky for a while before committing to it.
Your website mentions that y'all had plans to release your first full length album this fall. How has that recording/release process been and has COVID impacted the progress like causing delays?
It’s true! Our album was kind of a slow roll for us, recording bits and bobs when we found the time. A lot of it we did in our living room with our roommate Joey Oaxaca. COVID kind of just made everyone take a major pause. It wasn’t so much the logistical pause the industry took, but the emotional pause we needed personally to process what was happening and how we could/should proceed with putting a record out. I mean, it’s definitely a hindrance to not be able play shows of course. But we’re really excited to be collaborating with folks like you and seeing what the digital sphere looks like as it becomes the primary space for the music community!
Speaking of COVID, how has quarantine affected the band's ability to communicate and rehearse? What sort of adjustments have y'all had to make?
The biggest challenge was us all spread out between LA, Austin, and Atlanta but it’s easier now that 3/4ths of us are living together in ATL, as of last month. We’ve just started doing some live sessions, and it’s been a little surreal to be honest. We’re patiently awaiting the day when we can all four be in the same place and play music for hours on end together but until then, see u at the virtual gig.
What hobbies/interests have y'all picked up as a result of quarantine?
Browsing Craigslist free section. You NEVER know what you’re going to find.
When live music comes back, what would be your dream lineup and where would you want to play?
Kibi James, Jerry Paper, Orion Sun at 529, which sadly closed a few months ago. Support venues !! -> https://www.saveourstages.com
And in general, who are some dream collaborators you'd like to work with, whether it be other artists, collectives, etc.?
We would love to collaborate with Nintendo. Wario needs these tunes.
Back to the topic of new music, I absolutely love your latest single, "How to Say". What is new and different about this upcoming album from your past works? Do you find that your sound is evolving? What sort of new creative ideas have informed this latest project?
Thank you for saying that Nat! I’d say the album gives us a chance to explore all the different genre pockets we draw inspiration from. It can feel so singular pushing a ‘single’ and this is the first time we can present a full body of work. It feels like an adventure :) I think our sound evolves with every song, it’s a little chance to learn a lesson and reflect. By necessity our sound continues to be increasingly self produced. Creative ideas that inform this project would mostly just be the emotions we felt recording these songs…infatuation, humor, heart break, regret, new love, friendship, and hope are a few guiding feelings.
Based on the sentiment behind "How to Say", I'm curious: what are each of the band members' love language(s)?
Well we all love cuddles, I feel like physical touch! But honestly quality time is what’s on my mind during these quar times :’(
Could you give us two truths, one lie about the band?
Michael was supposed to be a twin but absorbed the second fetus, Noor is a pro at doing the worm, we stand in a circle and put our hands in the middle and say peepee poopoo before every show.
What is one of the most memorable experiences that you've had as a band?
One time we pulled into a show in Olympia and after the opening band Pigtails played, the sound system totally broke, so we just had to sing into the air and hoped everyone could hear us. The show was surprisingly good though and we stayed the night with Pigtails which was so much fun. We gifted them a Maggie Simpson doll we had brought with us.
Lastly, could you explain some of the picks that you've chosen for this playlist?
Sure! KAINA’s song ‘Green’ is up top there, we’re (virtually) playing Midway Music Fest with them in October. We have some great Atlanta bands like Upchuck, Kibi James, klark sounds in the mix as well. Some West Coast tour pals like Ginger Root and Jerry Paper. And a couple other artists we’ve met on tour like Black Ends from Seattle and Peyton from Houston. Can’t lie, this mix is really amazing.
Stream Mamalarky’s latest single, “Schism Trek” and follow them on Instagram!
