Mamalarky
Mamalarky share "You Make Me Smile" from debut LP out November 20th on Fire Talk Records (Dehd, Pure X, Corey Flood).
In September, Mamalarky announced their debut full length with a buoyant first single "Schism Trek". The band, who have recently re-located to Atlanta after stints in Austin and LA, have been the subject of a rare mid-pandemic buzz on the back of two one off singles for their new label Fire Talk (Dehd, Pure X, Corey Flood), "Fury" and May's "How To Say," earning early praise from outlets like NPR, Billboard, Bandcamp, etc. Today Mamalarky are sharing the album stand out "You Make Me Smile" following a premiere on Matt Wilkinson's Apple Music 1 show.
A change of pace from the punky edge of their earlier singles, "You Make Me Smile" brings Mamalarky's inventive and exploratory energies into a dreamier space, establishing a lilting groove before bursting into a kaleidoscope of layered electronics in its euphoric chorus.
"It's really obvious that you have big feelings for someone when you can't stop smiling around them and looking at them and getting all flustered no matter what they're doing,"
says singer/guitarist Livvy Bennett of the track.
"Those simple interactions become so magnified and impactful, which is kind of what the chorus is trying to get across.
"I wrote the whole song parked in my car in overbearing summer heat after a picnic that seemingly changed the course of reality. I was transmuting this lovelorn, unexpressed, guilty feeling into something I could actually say out loud even if just to myself for the time."
Mamalarky spent two years working on their self-titled debut album (out via Fire Talk on November 20th). Raw and cerebral, the LP looks to a range of influences from their collective musical nerdiness. '
'We might have a vocal melody that sounds like the lead steel guitar from Santo & Johnny, played over production that aims to be noisy and weird like Deerhoof or Sheer Mag, all the while steeped in the greats like Stevie Wonder or The Four Seasons,'
explains Livvy.
The album itself was cobbled together in a mix of DIY ways: home recordings with Livvy’s roommate Joey Oaxaca (White Reaper, Mo Dotti), singles with Daniel McNeill (White Denim) and a “final wrapping-up” with engineer Jim Vollentine (Spoon, Skating Polly).
“We want to provide an experience that's exploratory and trippy, but far removed from the problematic and corny psych stereotypes carried out by all those 60s dude bands.
It grosses us out,”
continues Livvy. Like many bands, Mamalarky’s 2020 has not gone as planned. With an already-completed LP, the quartet had been gearing up for SXSW and the possibility of more time on the road. Especially as a young band, the lack of touring makes these unprecedented circumstances feel even heavier. They have learned to adjust: they recorded the single “How to Say” while in quarantine. Michael and Livvy tracked it in one take. Next up, Livvy, Michael and Noor will all be moving to Atlanta to live together. With Dylan a 13 hour drive away in Austin, they’re hoping to not only make it easier for themselves to livestream for new fans and record more music together but to also regain the joy they felt playing video games and making up joke songs like they often would while on the road.
“I also have a lot of hope for us, though, even though we can’t tour for now,” Noor says, confidently. “People will love this album regardless.”
Mamalarky's self-titled debut will be released on Fire Talk on November 20th.
It is available for preorder here