Q&A: Mamalarky
Photos By Sara Cath
ALT-PSYCHPOP IS VERY MUCH A THING and Mamalarky is making some of the best of it. Though originally from Texas, Mamalarky has made their transition to Los Angeles to make their mark on the evolving music scene. Consisting of vocalist and guitarist Livvy Bennett, keyboardist Michael Hunter, drummer Dylan Hill and now with the recent addition of bassist Noor Khan, Mamalarky continues to grow as a collective. The group draws from a variety of genres, creating the unique sound of Mamalarky that feels equally soothing and adventurous.
Mamalarky released their debut EPFundamental Thrive Hive in May of this year and haven't slowed down since. The independent group takes pride in the way they've navigated the vast music scene on their own so far.
Mamalarky will finish 2018 with their fair share of shows in the Los Angeles area and will continue their fast pace into 2019. Read on to see our interview with Bennett - we promise you'll fall in love with her charm by the end.
LUNA: Why did you decide to leave Austin for Los Angeles? What has that transition been like?
LIVY: I was offered a job in LA at a record label anddecided FUCK IT and to mix things up. It was nice to discover a new scene here after getting so close to all the bands in Austin, though I definitely miss that tight community vibe. It's been weird starting over in a new place, but we're very down with being small fish for now haha.
Other than that, it's harder to breath here, people are weirder, and the traffics bad, like everyone always says. But I really value the fact that most of my friendships have stemmed from creative collaboration, that artistic work is truly valued as a valid path. That pretty much everyone here is deep down just a nerd for the field they're in.
LUNA: Has LA impacted your new music at all?
LIVY: Well most importantly, Noor has joined the band! Michael usually covers bass via his left hand, which sounds really sick and definitely works great for our songs. But we've wanted a bassist for a while so that's been really amazing to finally experience! We got super lucky with Noor because she also loves playing video games and she's from Atlanta so we have that shared Southern Hospitality Vibe Y'all.
LUNA: Are there any artist you often reference / draw inspiration from?
LIVY: Each other!
LUNA: There's definitely a lot of genre blending in your music, so what do you say when people ask what type of music is Mamalarky?
LIVY: I really don't have the elevator pitch down if I'm being honest. We never think of genres as we're writing and playing music. I think it's safe to say that rock, pop, some undercurrents of jazz, and psych are elements in there. I agree though, everything blends.
LUNA: You've definitely got a cool curated aesthetic going, so is that something that just comes naturally? Is there anyone you look to in that regard?
LIVY: I have so many visual inspirations, and at one point wanted to be a visual artist like most kids do. Clothing wise, I was part of a very thrift heavy friend group growing up, so I got very into bargain shopping and trying to grab the weirdest shit to wear to school on Monday. I think we would rather be bright and colorful than to be cool and understated. I have a few people I've collaborate with often, like Gabriel Ovalle, Julia Arden Dixon, Rex Hamilton, and Kelly Ahrens, that have guided me in many ways as well. And of course Sara Cath who made this shoot happen.
LUNA: What has your creative process like lately? Do you personally set aside time to make music or do you let it come to you?
LIVY: Shit I don't know! I find a mix of both is really great. I definitely find the best ideas just pour out the second I sit down to play. But I do consciously make time to write and revise, because maybe one out of every five songs is one I really love on that deep level. The rest have their place but I'm constantly writing to get that one in five.
LUNA: Do you find yourself having a common theme for writing?
LIVY: I think a lot of times I might end up throwing a pity party or roasting myself. It's weird now because I feel confident that every time I bring it to the rest of the band, they'll understand what the song needs without us even having to say much of anything, which is an amazing hive mind feeling. I think my adoration for them is a big driving factor that keeps me writing as much as I do.
LUNA: Creating music and finding new music has never been so easy - but it's kinda caused a saturated music industry. What's your stance on where the scene is now?
LIVY: As a listener, it's wonderful and inspiring to have access to so much music so immediately. Like you said too, it's really cool that anyone can release their stuff now. Even though the volume of new releases is overwhelming, it's really nice that almost everyday there's something great to discover.
From the artist side, it's hard to say. It's not like we started before Spotify existed, so we don't have much to compare it to. It's given us a great bit of exposure and definitely feels fun to track our progress and all that.
LUNA: As a woman, have you seen things change during your time in the industry?
LIVY: DAMN yeah. I would say it's getting better on a larger scale, at least in terms of who's being featured, people giving women more of a chance to be a part of musical conversations and scenes.
I would say on the micro level that sexism is something we'll all have to work through daily. When I was a kid, it was easier to let comments slide and move on. I miss that. I get really frustrated now, I'm more willing to speak up which is great and important, but can also be tiring as hell.
LUNA: What do you want people to take away from your music?
LIVY: That we aren't a band that pretends we don't care! That we really work hard for this shit! That we really love what we're doing and we really want to bring as many people happinesses we can. Hmm and maybe also that it's ok to feel fucked up and be unable to articulate how you're feeling 100% of the time, a lot of the music derives from those ideas haha.
LUNA: So what's next for Mamalarky?
LIVY: We're hitting the southeast for the first time in early January! It's going to be amazing having Noor with us on our upcoming shows, she's been great at helping us book dates as well. After that, we'll be doing more shows in California and then heading back for SXSW.
We also have a bunch of songs recorded and mostly finished right now. I've gotten a lot of different advice on how to release them but we're still kind of figuring out how we want to go about that. Whether we put out singles or a second EP or a full album, you'll be hearing something from us in the near future ;-)
