Melatonin Feast By Syd Trip
Melatonin Girls made their resurgence last year by releasing two singles and playing a string of live shows. In 2020 they are back with a new song entitled “Humanity Advances”. I had the opportunity to do a virtual interview with founding member, singer, and guitarist of the group, Jacob Mandel.
Hello Jacob, how are you holding up in quarantine?
It’s been a bit of a journey. Being stuck at home all day really forces you to get to know yourself and see how much effort your willing to put toward your own fulfillment. When you work or go to school, you get that sense of progress without having to be the one to enforce it. Almost like default goals. Both of those things have very tangible rewards (grades, paychecks) but when stripped of those things, you kinda need to keep everything in check and make your own goals. It gets easy to lose track of yourself but I think being an artist has been excellent training for dealing with exactly that. You set the standards and you’re the only one who can enforce them.
Your new song, “Humanity Advances” was released last Friday. The song’s lyrics seem to be relevant to current events. Was that your intention?
I feel like it would be cooler to say yes but it was written a little while before shit hit the fan. At the time I was thinking about all the work we constantly put into ourselves and embracing the fact that it can all fall apart at any moment for no good reason. Coincidentally, it ended up working really well with the COVID times because this is kinda the ultimate fallout. It just seemed obvious to get it out as soon as possible. Also, fun fact: the chorus originally came from a song about sex.
I’m a firm believer that humanity is currently declining. Thoughts?
I don’t know if I’m quite equipped to make a grand statement like that but it definitely feels like things are becoming more counter-intuitive and a lot of people don’t seem to mind. However, I really believe that experiencing these lows are crucial in our development because there’s a lot we can learn. Dealing with something of this magnitude makes it a lot easier to find the distinction between wants and needs. With the needs coming to light, we have a clearer picture of a better future and maybe more people will want to take action. I’m still feeling hopeful.
Melatonin Feast By Syd Trip
I’ve been impressed by the recording quality of all three tracks Melatonin Girls has released so far, especially considering how you guys do it all from home. What equipment and techniques do you use while recording?
We don’t have a super crazy set-up. I think the only piece of recording hardware we used was my shitty PreSonus audio box. It’s the kind that comes included when you buy the beginner daw at guitar center. Just about everything was done in the box on our end. I have a lot of analog modeling software and virtual synths, so I think the only time we used a microphone was for vocals. I don’t know if we really used any tricks or techniques. I just spend a lot of time on YouTube watching people mix and slowly gaining tiny bits of wisdom regarding which tools are most applicable in a given situation.
Normally you do all the mastering, but this song was mastered by Jose Cruz from Twin Seas. How was it working with him?
Super cool dude to work with! He did both mixing and mastering in such a short amount of time. We got everything done in like a day and a half. Most of our communication was done through Instagram dm’s, which seems like it would be a struggle but he was really able to pick up on everything I was trying to express. He just genuinely wants the artist to be happy with the end result, and he’ll keep going till that’s accomplished. He’s also just a really friendly guy, which is a pretty crucial quality to have in a collaborative effort.
Who are the people on the single’s cover? What was the significance of choosing those particular people?
According to Syd (the artist), it’s a mix of the dudes from Pink Floyd, Soul Train dancers, and random people. That’s kinda the era that influences her style but I don’t think the specific individuals are related to the track. There could be something I’m totally missing out on but I see it as more of a stylistic choice.
Melatonin Girls Live By Syd Trip
How are Melatonin Girl’s staying active during the pandemic?
Lots of writing away from the daw. Sometimes the screens get a little draining so it’s really cathartic to just pick up a guitar and sing. That being said, we’re also starting to experiment with working remotely since we all have our little recording set-ups now. There’s more editing in retrospect instead of trying to filter a part before it’s laid down. There are pros and cons to each method but the variation keeps it a bit more exciting.
What can the world expect next from you guys?
Definitely more music. There are plans to release a melatonified(?) cover song in the near future, but until we get to play shows again, most of our efforts are gonna remain in the studio. There may be some other surprises, though.
Listen to “Humanity Advances” on Spotify.
