PAL – Under Your Radar

By starrymag | April 1, 2025

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

Q) Your sound bounces between genres and is tough to pigeonhole, but it feels familiar—especially for fans of throwback bands like Devo, early B-52s, Debbie Harry and later acts like The Dead Milkmen. For people who haven’t heard your music yet but will at the festival, how would you describe it?

A) We often will say “weirdo punk… like Devo” just because that feels easiest. I’ll say “skronk punk” sometimes – but then people don’t know what “skronk” means. I don’t even think I know what “skronk” means. I made up a definition for it long ago in my head – “skronk” is defined as “Jake Schott’s guitar tone.”

Q) For those unfamiliar with egg punk, your music leans into its satirical side—it’s less “punch you in the face” and more “I could punch you in the face, but instead, let’s party.” With a heavy dose of humor in both your songs and stage performances, how did you develop your style and put your own spin on the scene?

A) I feel like it all came very naturally, honestly. At a young age, my dad and older sister introduced me to rock and punk while my brother introduced me to more goofy artists on YouTube like Bo Burnham. I went to the same college as Devo, Kent State, so I couldn’t avoid their influence (nor did I want to). I wrote “Burger Boy,” and it sat for years because it didn’t seem to have a place. Jake [Schott] and I started writing together around the time I started listening to bands like Cruelster (Cleveland!) – it kind of confirmed for me that there’s plenty of room for goofiness in punk. So, I leaned into it!

Q) Every artist has that spark—that moment or influence that pushes them toward making music. Who or what inspired you to take that path?

A) My first couple of songs I had written, “Burger Boy” and “Professor Forehead,” were written kind of as a joke. The lyrics were just things I was repeating in my head around the house. It wasn’t until I wrote “Garbage Man” and sent it to Jake – he sent it back a couple months later with guitar on it (I can’t play guitar). My jaw dropped when I heard it and PAL was born. It opened up a whole new world for me. I felt like I finally found my place, and I just wanted to make more music with him!

Q) The DIY punk scene is thriving across the U.S.—dominating in big cities like New York and London, but also flourishing in smaller hubs like Akron. What kind of creative freedom does being part of the DIY scene give you as an artist?

A) Cleveland and Akron are filled with talented, weirdo musicians just like us. It’s great to share a bill with other local bands who inspire you. I knew Jake, Adam [Atkinson] and Mario [Slagle] from previous projects they were in; the DIY scene is what brought us together! An abundance of creative musicians allows for an abundance of projects. Some stick, some come and go, but it’s always great to see different musicians from different projects get together to create something new. There’s a rumor that there’s something in the water in Northeast Ohio…

Q) Your new EP, Under Your Radar, is making waves. Beyond the critics loving it, how have the fans at your shows reacted? Is there one particular track they can’t get enough of?

A) We have been playing some of these songs live for a while now – so I know a lot of the fans are really excited that they can finally listen to them whenever they want! They seem to love “I Think You Should Order” – and I love that one, too. It’s relatable, goofy and catchy. I think it’s our only song that was written by all 4 of us, so it’s special to me too!

Q) Your first release from the album, the track I love the inclusion of electronic drum sounds in your music. What drew you to incorporate them?

A) I think the minimalist nature of the project. We knew how easy it is to get lost in getting the perfect drum sound, and we had a deadline for our first release. Jake and I both had electronic drum kits that we had used for recording demos in the past, so we thought we’d give it a shot with PAL. We were really happy with the results – we continued to use it on everything we’ve released!

Q) Most of the songs on the album put me in a good mood—they feel like a party for misfits. But there are a few tracks that bring that energy down a notch. “Short Circuit” comes to mind. What inspired that song?

A) “Short Circuit” was inspired by my struggles with executive dysfunction caused by my ADHD. I’ll have so much on my list to do, but I get stuck in this state where I feel almost paralyzed. I can’t decide what to start on and I just get stuck. The best way to explain it is I feel like I’m short circuiting!

Q) Maureen, you’re credited for the lyrics, Jake Schott crafts the music on guitar, while Adam Atkinson holds down the bass and Mario Slagle pounds the drums. A four-piece band means balancing dynamics, especially during the writing process. How does that work for you? Is it a full collaboration or do Maureen and Jake take the lead?

A) For the first EP, PALS, Jake and I took the lead. For Under Your Radar, it was far more collaborative. Adam, Jake and I had been getting together to write new songs or work on ones that we individually had written. Mario was still living a couple hours away at this point, so I wrote the drum parts until he came in and made them his own. We wrote “I Think You Should Order” while we were recording the other songs, so that was our first song written by all four of us in one room.

Q) What’s the message you hope fans take from this album?

A) Neurodivergence shows in different ways! It’s not just missing social cues or having a hard time focusing. Sometimes it’s not being able to get out of bed no matter how much you want to or it’s the severe anxiety that comes with basic social interactions. It’s a lot of symptoms that present as anxiety and depression – that’s how I went under everyone’s radar until I was diagnosed with ADHD at twenty-three years old!

Q) Let’s talk about your uniforms. Fans know they can expect matching outfits and sunglasses when they see you on stage—there always seems to be a quirky aesthetic to bands on the egg punk scene. How did that idea come about?

A) It’s kind of silly, but when I played with other bands, I had a lot of anxiety before shows trying to find the perfect outfit to be on stage in. I wanted to avoid that all together while also looking like a team with my bandmates. A little bit of DEVO influence too when we chose to go the jumpsuit route. The sunglasses are to hide my eyes when I perform so I don’t have to worry about eye contact.

Q) From Akron, Cleveland to Austin, Texas—what was your reaction when you found out you’d be playing SXSW?

A) We were so excited! Only one of us had been to Texas before – so it would be a very new experience. Our second thought was probably, “How on earth are we going to get there?” We were also super excited to play multiple shows in one day while meeting other musicians from all over the world. Playing SXSW met our expectations and so much more!

Q) What can fans expect from your SXSW live show? A mix of fan favorites with some of the new album?

A) Luckily, our songs are so short that we could cram just about all of them into thirty minutes if we really wanted to – I think there were only a couple that didn’t make the cut! They can expect for the songs to be a bit more high energy live than they are in the recordings though – especially the ones we play off of our first EP, PALS.

Q) Who were some artists you were looking forward to seeing yourselves while at SXSW?

A) We were excited to catch up with some old friends: STEEF, CDSM and Population II! John Fogerty and Holy Fuck were the big names we wanted to go see. We were really excited to see Immersion for the first time – that’s Colin Newman of Wire, Malka Spigel-Newman of Minimal Compact and Matt Schulz of Holy Fuck. We saw their first show of the festival, and they came to see ours!

Q) What would you like to say to the fans who came out to see you—and to the new ones you made at SXSW?

A) We couldn’t do any of this without you! Thank you so much for your support. We hope to see you at more shows in the future!

Covered at SXSW 2025