Q&A: Back At It, Melt Mars Re-Introduces Themselves with New Single “Meet Me in the City”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KAYLIE MINOGUE ☆
Introducing Melt Mars, an Orange County native indie rocker with a flair for bliss. What started out as a solo project by Brian Ortiz is now more of a collective of friends who all contribute to Ortiz’s sound. Ortiz creates dreamy, indie rock tracks that quickly take you out of the drag of day to day life and off into a blissed out paradise. Brian originally grasped inspiration from artists like Kevin Parker and Mac Demarco, taking a page from their books to write and release music alone. Melt Mars proves that sometimes not quite knowing what you’re doing and releasing it anyways is the key to sticky songs that leave a mark. An avid member of the Orange County music scene, Ortiz was mesmerized by the DIY nature of the ska and punk shows he attended. After being a part of the crowd for so long, he realized there was nothing stopping him from being a part of it. Since then, Ortiz has honed in on a vibey indie sound, floating between psychedelic sonic landscapes to more upbeat rock tracks like new single “Meet Me in the City.” Melt Mars is ramping up to play riveting live shows and share tons of new music. Check out our conversation with Ortiz below and follow along as Melt Mars starts to rock SoCal once again.
LUNA: Can you tell us a little more about Melt Mars? How did this project come about?
ORTIZ: Well, the name Melt Mars came from a joke rap battle at a party. I was thinking of a fake rap name and I somehow landed on Melt Mars and it kinda just stuck. I wish I had a deeper meaning behind the name. As far as releasing music, I was inspired by artists like Mac Demarco and Kevin Parker and how they would do most of the music themselves! So I bought a $200 Macbook from Craigslist and recorded a couple of songs at home and just decided to release them! I did not know what I was doing at all but surprisingly, friends and new fans really liked the tunes so I got a couple friends together and started playing shows live.
LUNA: Your latest single “Meet Me in the City” has such a great laid-back, sunny indie rock vibe. Where did the inspiration come from for this track?
ORTIZ: At the time I was listening to a lot of The Smiths and The Growlers and I really liked how they were able to create blissful songs with an underlying darker tone in the storytelling. It’s a bit like when you listen to your favorite song and you vibe to it and it’s not until you listen to the words closely that you realize what they’re actually singing about. When we went into the studio we purposely added little things that give it that effect. It was the first time using vocal harmonies to give it a nice sweet melody and bright guitar tones. Although the lyrics aren’t dark, it’s more of a cautionary story. I’m always trying to figure out what I’m singing about after I’m done writing them [laughs].
LUNA: What was it like growing up in Orange County, and do you think it influenced your current sound?
ORTIZ: Orange County always had a thriving music scene! From a very young age I began going to punk and ska shows and was mesmerized by the DIY aspect of it all. It was always at some random house or warehouse and everyone just came together to enjoy some music and have a good time. It was very different in those days and a bit dangerous, but I always just went for the art of it all. It wasn't until bands like the Burger Records scene where I began to think that I could do it too. It felt like a tide was turning and everyone was on board. A lot of different types of music were coming out of Orange County and SoCal and I just wanted to be a part of it.
LUNA: Your music is reminiscent of artists like Still Woozy and The Strokes—are there any bands or musicians that you look to for inspiration?
ORTIZ: I love The Strokes! I try really hard not to take too much inspiration from them though. I’ve been listening to a lot of ‘90's alternative. I really dig the stripped down to the bare bones sound of just drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. I’ve been chasing that sound for the longest time. I feel like if you have a good song in your hands then you don’t need all the extra overproduction of it all but eventually I’d like to experiment more with synths and go back to the psychedelic sound we’ve tried in the past. Maybe I’ll start rapping again [laughs].
LUNA: Going from a solo project to a full band, how do you all work with each other on new tracks like “Meet Me in the City?”
ORTIZ: Well now I have some really great musicians in the group unlike before when I was just writing on my own and releasing whatever came out. I feel like I don’t trust my ear enough to believe I have written something that others would enjoy. That’s where someone like Tim (drummer) comes into play and helps me flesh out ideas. Tim has so much knowledge in recording and working with musicians that someone like myself wouldn’t, so it helps to learn from him. Gabe (guitar) as well! He’s a songwriter himself and always is there to add a guitar lead or idea that I wouldn’t have thought of. Everyone in the group is fairly new to playing with each other as Melt Mars, so in a sense this is a new band, but I’m really lucky to have them and I’m excited to see where we go.
LUNA: What’s a Melt Mars live show like for those of us that haven’t gotten to see you yet?
ORTIZ: I’ve recently switched to just vocals, so it’s been fun jumping off stage and interacting with the audience. It was a bit difficult being on guitar and vocals but now while the band is doing their thing I’m all over the place. If you like to dance and vibe out then I’d think you’d enjoy us! Come hang out sometime!
LUNA: What can fans look forward to post “Meet Me in the City”?
ORTIZ: Definitely more music and shows. We took a small two-year break of releasing anything or playing so it’s a bit like starting all over again. Of course, we still have some old fans but I look forward to meeting new people and musicians and actually trying to put the band out there more. I feel like after covid things died off a bit, but now it feels like the perfect time to get in it all. I missed playing and it’s nice to be on stage again.
LUNA: If you could wake up one day and be an expert at anything that isn’t related to music, what would it be?
ORTIZ: A forensics detective! I’ve been listening to too much true crime [laughs]
