Q&A: Marinelli Talks “OH GOD,” Previous Music, Inspiration & More

☆ BY GEORGE MATSUO ☆

FIRST SOUNDING LIKE SOMETHING YOU’D HEARD ON LO-FI HIP HOP RADIO — (you know: the one with the pensive girl with the cat by the windowsill), LA artist and producer Marinelli quickly proves to be more than that as somber vocals and emotive lyrics take over to give voice to the realities of a crumbling relationship. He fully embraces this pain with his new single, “OH GOD.”

The song is an emotional trek — it accelerates and decelerates; it's soft then violent; it comes and goes, sort of like an uncontrollable sob. It makes sense, as Marinelli himself describes the song as “a fucking bummer!” Aside from the beautifully depressing lyricism, what stands out is the song’s production — Marinelli’s new sound has texture. The mellow synth that starts the song off mutates throughout, as it’s sonically stretched and kneaded into something entirely new. By the end of the track, the synth is hardly recognizable. If love is like a flower, then “OH GOD” is a reminder of decay.

Listen to the brand new single now and read below to learn about Marinelli’s writing process, recent inspirations, and what lies beyond the horizon for the up-and-coming artist.

LUNA: Congrats on the release of “OH GOD” — so exciting! Can you share a favorite moment from the making of this track?

MARINELLI: My favorite moment of making this track was throwing in the sample at the last second — it’s from a viral dating show that I was in called “Jubilee Blind Date.”

LUNA: Sonically, how would you compare the feel of this single to your previous music?

MARINELLI: This song is such a fucking bummer!

LUNA: “OH GOD” has an emotive, yearning-like tone to it — is this a reflection of your music moving forward?

MARINELLI: I want to continue to make songs that are bummers — most of the music I listen to makes other people really sad. (laughs)

LUNA: Despite the circumstances, you’ve been able to continue to make music during the pandemic and stay busy — yay! How has quarantine impacted your creative process?

MARINELLI: It’s been nice because I get to hunker down with spill tab and wallice and myself and spend time making things that are really meaningful!

LUNA: You’ve dabbled in a lot of areas of the industry, from playing in bands and for others to producing your own project. What do you like about each discipline?

MARINELLI: I like that my stuff is more autobiographical and lyric-based and less production-heavy than the stuff I produce for other people. It’s a nice headspace to reserve for myself.

LUNA: Going off of that, what’s the biggest difference you see between your personal project as an artist versus when you’re producing for others?

MARINELLI: I’m so fast at making music by myself and it drives me crazy sometimes. I have a Dropbox with hundreds of finished songs in it that will never see the light of day.

LUNA: Musical or not, what’s been inspiring you lately?

MARINELLI: I’m blessed to know a lot of creative people like mazie and solomonophonic, and it’s always refreshing to check in on what they’ve been spending their time on!

LUNA: You’ve been able to collaborate with a ton of great artists — how do you tend to approach projects like these to ensure both your vision as a producer and the artists’ vision are met?

MARINELLI: Having the solo project means I can leave my ego at the door as a producer. I can just focus on bringing out what I think is amazing about a person when we’re making music together.

LUNA: A fun one — share the last photo in your camera roll.

MARINELLI: The last photo on my camera roll is my dad's headshot...

LUNA: Now that this track is out, what’s next for you?

MARINELLI: More songs! EP soon!!!!

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“I want to set the mood for younger emerging artists in Toronto, to be like, ‘Hey, you could, like, fucking work with literally anyone who has a kind soul.’ I do want to uplift the artist community. I do think collaboration is important, because if you wanna be in the community, you're gonna have to collaborate one way or another." - Cruz ⭐️ 🎞Allowing themself to take a more vulnerable & meaningful approach with their work, photographer Cruz is combining her creative talent with her passion for mental health advocacy. Read more about this incredible artist & how quarantine shifted her work + about the work they are doing for the community in our feature on the site now 💞