Boston based four-piece Oh Malô (oh muh-low) present their video for ‘Miss You‘ off the band’s debut album ‘As We Were‘.
The quartet presents a shape-shifting sound through their dynamic arrangements as delicate vocals intertwine with ambient guitars and powerful, aggressive drums. They combine influences from rhythmically innovative indie outfits such as Bombay Bicycle Club and Local Natives, vocalists Patrick Watson and the late Jeff Buckley, and the chilling ambiance of Radiohead and Sigur Rós to create an unpredictable blend of timbres.
Over the past year, Oh Malô was nominated for “New Artist of the Year” at the 2015 Boston Music Awards, recorded live sessions for KEXP and Sofar Sounds New York, made showcase appearances at both CMJ and CMW and supported several nationally touring acts such as From Indian Lakes, The Lighthouse and the Whaler and Halfnoise.
In this interview feature, we chat with Jordan Lagana (Bass) & Jack Mcloughlin (Lead guitar) of Oh Malô about influences, their newest project, the digital music world and more.
Full Q&A along with links and streams can be found below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Individual members of our band are from both coasts of the United States but the group formed in Boston, MA so that’s our collective place of origin. Our music strives to communicate our own introspection and reflect it back onto our surroundings, ideally resulting in a wholly original thought. It blends myriad stylistic influences and ultimately allows that blend to act as a vehicle for the meaning of each song.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
When casually listening to music, our band responds most when that music aims to convey something, whether it be a concerted meaning or thematic elements. These interests in our personal listening drive the music we create as a group with the utmost goal of it reaching the same caliber as the art that inspired us in the first place. However important it is to be personally driven, it is also extremely fulfilling when a listener shares how our music has impacted their lives, in exchange fueling us when we sit down to further create.
Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to your creativity?
We’re primarily impacted by music and personal experiences. There are obviously vast parallels between our creative process of those of other musicians, so we lean towards the musical medium of art to model our own process after more so than visual art or literature. Musical groups like Grizzly Bear and Radiohead honed the experience for listeners (ourselves included) in such a way that the inspiration they provide goes beyond mere emulation and proves that there can be longevity for an act that values originality and transparency.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
The video for ‘Miss You’ appeals to the widely felt human experience of longing while our previous releases focused on more particularly nuanced emotions. We set out to create something that was accessible to our current listeners as well as potential fans who had yet to hear our music.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
We face numerous challenges as an indie act in a digital age but not necessarily more or less than generations before us — simply a different set. It can be difficult to gain/retain somebody’s attention when they’re not in a room with you so online promotion can feel like a shot in the dark at times. Inversely, we don’t suffer from geographic barriers when we distribute our music and as a result, we have little pockets of fans dispersed throughout the world, which is incredible. Overall, we take pride in the advantages of technology rather than dwelling in its detriment.
How do you feel about streaming services? Any romantic attachments to the physical formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs?
Streaming services are fantastic tools for musical pollination. A platform like Spotify will take a single song, decide on music it can be aptly paired with and then repeat the feat exponentially until your music is falling into the laps of listeners who are predisposed to love the hell out of it. That being said, there will always be intrinsic value in physical formats despite the diminishing monetary value. Just as personal relationships thrive with non-digital interaction, the same goes for intimacy with music and the increased capacity for connection with something that is tangible.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
We‘re all over the place online! Take your pick of streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) to see what we’ve currently released or stop by our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for a more personal feed of how our current musical endeavors are coming along.
Anything else before we sign off?
We’re in the process of working on a new record but if you’d really like to hear some of our unreleased music as the record develops, your best shot would be coming to one of our shows while we test new material out!
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