- Words Notion Staff
Musical newcomers Mylar are taking it slow amidst the chaos of modern life - we chat Nicolas Cage films, crypto bros and the power of pizza.
Welcome to Fresh Face, a quick-fire interview series spotlighting the best rising talents in today’s youthful music scene. From biggest pet peeves to party tricks and death row meals, we’re stripping things back from the formal Q&A format. Think of it like speed dating, but with some of the freshest music makers worth discovering.
Mylar are ready to put their vulnerabilities on the table. The four-piece band have been marking the run-up to their debut EP by releasing tunes which show a self-awareness and emotional honesty that feels truly specific to them, and now the release of the full four-song collection is set to complete their impressive entrance onto the scene.
The singles have indicated a willingness to delve into some diverse and hard-hitting themes, such as the exploration of the constrictive structures of masculinity in the song “Plastic Champ” and the haziness of memory in circumstances such as a break-up in “Blue Afternoon”.
The overarching theme is simple but powerful – today’s world is impossibly fast and chaotic, and Mylar have chosen to take it at their own pace, prioritising interiority over giving into the mad whirlwind. That’s a theme surely influenced by the recording of the EP during the first half of last year, where COVID lockdowns and all the surrounding anxiety cast a shadow over our lives.
With their EP coming in fast, we sat down with Mylar to chat about pizza, bad cable management and inexplicable Spanish knowledge, amongst other things.
If you could revive one fashion trend, which would it be?
It feels like every dodgy trend from the 90s/2000s is being revived at the moment, but if we had to choose one, it would be big shirt lapels – Vince Vaughn in Swingers had the right idea.
If you were transported back to 2019, what’s the first thing you’d do?
Become Cryptobros.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Bad cable management.
How have you developed creatively over the past year?
We only really started writing songs while holed up in our homes in 2020, and then during all the lockdowns since, so a lot of our early songs came together remotely. But we recently did a residency at Laylow which was a great experience. Living together in this strange building, bouncing ideas around and then playing them to a crowd is a much more enjoyable and unpredictable way to be as a band.
What’s your party trick?
Despite speaking zero Spanish, Rob is somehow able to rap the opening lines to Gasolina by Daddy Yankee.
Wildest thing that’s happened to you lately?
Probably getting signed and being able to take music seriously – it means you actually finish writing things. Also being mistaken for Machine Gun Kelly.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
We’d like to mention some fancy cuisine, but it would probably be pizza – it’s fuelled every recording session we’ve ever done, we basically survive on it anyway, this would not be a big stretch. Special mention goes to the fried calzone at Panella on Golborne Road.
Biggest goal for 2022?
Achieve global chart domination. Or at least tour and play our music to many more people.
Never have I ever…
Not enjoyed a Nicolas Cage film.
Biggest irrational fear?
Realising that you’re breathing loudly with headphones on.