Q&A with Melodramatic
Where are you from? Did where you grew up/ your current environment influence your sound?
I am from the Triad in North Carolina! Growing up so close to Appalachia absolutely influenced my writing style and sound. Early in my music career I completely rejected the folk roots that are so prevalent here in North Carolina, but as I’ve matured, both in age and writing style, I have learned to embrace my twangy folk side. In fact, the subject of my Master’s thesis research was Americana music festivals in the Southeastern United States so perhaps I’m slightly underestimating the influence Appalachia has truly had on me…
How did you get into music?
I was in elementary school and heard the Ramones for the first time. It hit me like a brick wall; I had never experienced anything like that before. I was instantly in love with music and wanted to do it myself.
How would you describe your genre/style?
Ever-changing. I get bored of things really easily and I kind of hate that about myself. For instance, if you played my songs “Brainwash” alongside “The Hard Way” I’d imagine you would get some pretty severe whiplash. And those songs weren’t written too far apart either. I have the deep urge to put my dirty hands into every place I can and really push myself to the limits.
Did anyone else work on the single with you?
Yes! Khallori, a staple in the local music scene around here. She sings on the chorus of I Like You. Her voice is phenomenal and she’s just an all-around great person. Check out some of her music if you haven’t already.
Are you inspired by anyone sonically or artistically in general?
Alex G, The Strokes, Jeff Rosenstock, & Pulp have all been huge inspirations for me over the years. Lately I’ve been really into Porches and The Mountain Goats.
What is the story behind the single?
I wrote I Like You in 2021 and finished up a demo of it pretty quickly. At the time, I thought it was a decent song but it wasn’t anything too special. It then sat on my harddrive as a demo for 3 years as I focused on other projects. One day, as I was going through some songs I had on the backburner I came across the demo again and it instantly became one of my favorite songs I’d ever written. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten about it. I had somehow written a song that would hit my future self’s music taste in just the right way, and I feel like that’s pretty cool. After discovering it I devoted a lot of attention to polishing it up and getting it ready to release and here we are! It’s finally making its way into the real world and I am as terrified as ever.
Favorite lyric?
I really enjoy the second verse: “You thought you had something special but you’re just like the rest. I never would’ve thought you’d be the one to cause the pain in my chest”.
Is this a single part of a larger project?
This single is a part of a larger project! Every year since 2015 I have put out an EP on Christmas Day – this is the first year that will not be happening. Instead, for the 10 year anniversary of this tradition I will be releasing a full length LP titled CRUSH over the course of 2025.
Why did you choose to release the single on Christmas Day?
I chose to release the single on Christmas Day as my way of keeping with the “Christmas EP” tradition. Sure, it may not be an EP, but this LP is going to blow whatever I would’ve released as an EP out of the water.
