By: Karen Steinberg
Q) How would you describe your sound?
Zack: We are primarily a pop punk, rock and alternative band.
Seth: But we appreciate and draw inspiration from a lot of different genres. I think that’s what gives us our unique musical sound!
Q) Who are some of your musical influences?
Seth: Linkin Park, All Time Low, Thin Lizzy, U2, Pierce the Veil, Fall Out Boy, Blink 182 and so many more.
Zack: I’ll add in the Beach Boys, the Killers and The Story So Far. But, yeah, we have so many influences.
Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Back to the Feeling.”
Seth: I was in my studio just in the right headspace late one night when I picked up my acoustic guitar and I started playing the main riff that is now the verse of “Back to the Feeling.” It just started building from there. Then, I layered the bass and drums for it on the demo. When I sent it over to Zack, he immediately sent me back some vocal ideas over the demo. I knew it worked perfectly right when I heard it. It was a hit! There’s this fabulous 80’s vibe to the song that really connected with all of us.
Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?
Zack: I think this song sonically has such a unique vibe that’s fun and nostalgic to listen to. It’s a big throwback to bands like Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode, who were big influences of mine growing up. Also, I think a lot of us feel this need to reconnect with our younger selves, and this song is all about that.
Seth: The backstory on this is remembering the joys of our past even as we have grown up and forgotten what is most important in our lives. And how it’s universally different for every individual. And to strive to rediscover what matters the most to us deep down in our roots. Essentially going: “Back to the Feeling.”
Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?
Seth: So for the music video, we shot this nostalgic and quirky Back to the Future themed adventure, where we all go back in time to dig up things from our past. We got to drive around in a DeLorean in the desert, so that was pretty crazy. The video plays really well with the meaning of the song because it’s like we’re letting go of some of our past, but also rediscovering what’s really important to us.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
Zack: Actually, a lot of times I’ll write lyrics and melodies before ever hearing music. I’ll often take those ideas to the guys, with a very simple guitar part, and then Ezra and Seth will run with the ideas and create much more interesting instrumental parts than I ever could haha. But it’s pretty versatile. There have been songs that started entirely with the instrumentals too, such as “Back to the Feeling” and “Every Little Everything.” A song idea could come at any time, so we try to be ready to tap into that whenever the magic strikes.
Q) This song was produced by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, but how much of a say does Make Out Monday tend to have in the production of your music?
Zack: We absolutely love working with those guys. We recorded our debut EP with them as well. One of the things we like about them is they’re really great about giving input and advice like, “Hey, that riff is cool, but maybe there’s something that would fit this section better…” Or sometimes they’ll hear a melody or lyric that they think should be repeated or replaced. But as a band, it’s ultimately always our choices that determine the direction of production. Depending on the song, we might be very open to experimenting and playing with ideas. But other times, there have been songs that we didn’t want to change at all and that we just really wanted to execute our vision for. And Zack and Kenneth have also been amazing about that. Any time we’re like, “Nah, we wanna do it this way,” they listen and help us find the best way to do it. We always go in with a pretty detailed vision of what we want the song to sound like and they’re masters at helping us accomplish that.
Q) With “Back to the Feeling” out now, is this a prelude to a full album or EP?
Seth: Yes, we still have a couple more songs that we intend to release at the beginning of the new year. Then, we plan to combine that with the singles we’ve put out this year. We’re still figuring out whether that will be an EP or a full album. But more is coming!
Q) What can fans expect from a live Make Out Monday performance?
Zack: We bring a lot of high energy to our shows. I think we really feed off of the excitement that our fans bring when they show up, so if they’re lively, we’re that much more lively. But even if it’s a silent crowd full of people who have no idea who we are, we still crank up the fader and try to put on the best performance we can. We’re often running around, trying out new covers and even putting spins on our original music to keep it exciting and engaging at each show.
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
Seth: We really enjoyed playing at The Viper Room more recently. We’d always wanted to play there, and the sound system is really great! We’ve played the Whiskey A-Go-Go a few times and that’s always a blast. But, mainly, I’d say we love traveling to new areas to meet new fans and play for audiences that haven’t gotten to hear us play yet. Obviously, someday we’d love to play at some of the bigger iconic venues such as the Wiltern, the Palladium or even Wembley! [laughs]
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
Seth: In no particular order: The 1975, The Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Machine Gun Kelly, All Time Low, YUNGBLUD, Linkin Park, Led Zeppelin, Jack White, U2 and Wolfgang Van Halen!
Zack: [laughs] Seth wants to work with everybody, and I’m here for it. For me, if we can just collab with The Story So Far or Pierce the Veil, I’d be a very happy camper. Ezra [Behrens] would probably add Bad Omens. And that would also be a sick collab.
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
Zack: I’ll just give one to keep it short. [laughs] I’ve actually been on a Nirvana kick recently. Growing up, I feel like I only listened to a couple of their hits, but now I’m diving more into their catalogue and that’s been really awesome. “Aneurysm,” specifically, has been on repeat lately. Kurt [Cobain] was such an amazing songwriter. So, there’s a lot you can learn there.
Seth: Taylor Swift, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy for me lately. At the end of the day, it’s not just about the sound. It’s the songwriting and the heart of the songs. And these artists ALWAYS have heart, and it’s always hooky.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
Seth: We are forever grateful to all our fans for their support. And we just hope they’ll continue to listen, so we can continue doing what we love… Making music and playing shows!
Zack: I couldn’t agree more. Maybe it’s corny, but it feels pretty fitting that it’s Thanksgiving weekend as we’re answering this. But I know we are all so thankful for our fans that have relentlessly kept us on replay. [laughs] If we didn’t have people that really cared about our music and related with it, I guarantee we wouldn’t still be doing this. So, THANK YOU. You’re the reason we do this and the reason we will continue to do this. Hope on…Hopeless Romantics.