Q&A: Mareux Talks Performing Coachella & Is Set To Launch His 2023 Tour Alongside New Album Lovers From The Past

 

☆ BY Jasmine Aguirre

 
 

OPENING A NEW REALM INTO DARKWAVE – Aryan Ashtiani, widely known as Mareux, has notably redefined music for post-punk fanatics. Based in LA, Mareux’s music takes his own spin on traditional 80s darkwave with a modern touch of synth-pop that comprises of several sub-genres, jumping between goth-influenced electronic sounds paired with romantic, gloomy, melancholic lyrics. 

With over a billion views on TikTok and more than 200 million streams on Spotify, the musician and producer emerged one of the most memorable songs last year with his infamously known cover of The Cure’s “The Perfect Girl.” This created a domino effect into the darkwave, synthwave genre that sparked a large following and fans could not get enough of it. 

Mareux took the stage at this past week’s Coachella 2023 festival along with many up and coming artists. He recounts his intense wave of emotions and excitement he felt when performing and already tells us that he cannot wait to get back into the studio once again after touring. 

His recent releases are already teasing an emotional project with the soft, mellow single “Night Vision” and synth-heavy latest single “Lovers From The Past.” Dropping this Friday May 5th, we can highly anticipate his new album Lovers From The Past to be a perfect blend of post-punk darkwave and much more to yet be heard. 

Read below to hear about Mareux’s recent festival experience and upcoming excitement for his newest album.

LUNA: How are feeling post Weekend 1 of Coachella?

MAREUX: I'm feeling really, really good about it. I think it was a great first show, and I'm looking forward to making weekend 2 even better. I think a lot of artists have those weekend 1 jitters and those are gone by weekend 2.

 LUNA: While you’ll have plenty of fans at your set today this weekend is a chance for attendees to become a new fan. What vibe can people stopping by your set expect to hear? 

MAREUX: Our set has a mix of moods and emotions that go from losing yourself dancing to overwhelming melancholy. I think it will be a nice introduction to "romantic darkwave".

LUNA: How does a set at a festival like coachella compare to your club/venue shows?

MAREUX: There is way more unpredictability to big festivals over the close control of a club/venue show. This goes from not only a technical standpoint, but also the crowd and energy.

I feel way more intense ranges of emotion at festivals than normal shows. The stakes are always higher at festivals like Coachella, so there's a lot of pressure to kill it.

LUNA: What's been your favorite track to perform live lately? 

MAREUX: I love performing "Lovers From The Past". It's a single I put out in March that I feel has all the best bits of my production and writing.

LUNA: Do you have any preshow rituals? what’s a pre show day looking like for Coachella? 

MAREUX: Usually my band and I huddle up and I give them a kiss on the forehead for good luck. Pre show we chill backstage, have some drinks, and just shoot the shit. 

LUNA: What intentions do you have for the upcoming months? 

MAREUX: I’ve started tour in North America and will go to Europe in July. After that's done it will be back to the studio for me, writing the next Mareux album.

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