'Wild & Free' features ten tracks teeming with soaring vocalisation and crunching guitars in the bands unique twist on the shoegaze genre.
Megadose are: Stephen Steen, James Kasinger, Laura Seniow, and Mikey Ferrario.
Back and with their newest full-length record in tow, I chatted with Megadose about all things new music and what the future holds for the surf-rock quartet.
Hey how are you guys doing?
We've been good! Had a very active summer for music and other fun adventures, and we've managed to stay healthy and safe. Thanks for asking.
Since our last chat, what’s been going on in the world of Megadose?
Well, we scored a new practice space over summer which is a lot bigger and nicer, so that's been a plus. And we have a lot of new songs to work on, so we've been polishing those up.
What can fans expect from your album ‘Wild & Free'?
It's our first album, so we wanted to make it splashy. Most of the music is upbeat, and I did my best to avoid too much melodrama in the songwriting and production process, in favor of keeping it relaxed and fun, not overly complicated. I think of it as an invitation to a party. A pool party, with an excellent 4-piece indie rock band playing in the backyard.
You recently released the title song, what’s the story behind it?
"Wild and Free" is one of those songs that I left unfinished for months. The chords and main vocal melody came easily, but it took me a long time to figure out what the song needed to say lyrically. Then the words, "wild and free," popped into my head for the chorus, and that sort of unlocked it. The rest of it describes the euphoria that comes from shedding old patterns of being that hold you back. It's about the joy of breaking free from those things, and the creative breakthroughs that come with it.
Are there any overriding themes or arcs across the album?
Somewhat. A handful of songs fit right in thematically with 'Wild and Free,' in that they riff on adjacent themes like leaving your old self behind ('Getaway Drive'), or just straight-up needing a vacation ('There's Jonathan'). I would also say that much of the record has an unabashedly joyful energy, even in the more shoegaze and krautrock sections, like 'Kreuzberg Is Dead To Me', and the back half of 'Robert's Western World'.
Was there any reasoning behind choosing to release ‘Artreides Flight’ as a single?
Not really, besides that it's just one of the favorites among our group. I like the thumpy energy at the chorus, when it drops to just bass and drums. It's a nice answer to the guitar intro, which is contrastingly slow and pretty. I enjoy sneaking in nerdy science fiction references where I can, and the lyrical universe of the song is inspired by Frank Herbert's Dune series. All that just made it seem like an especially fun one to put forward first.
What are you hoping fans will take from ‘Wild & Free’?
It's not too important to us particularly what listeners take away from it, but of course we hope that folks like it and find it engaging. Extra points to anybody who figures out who Jonathan is (track 6).
Are there any plans to take the album on tour?
Someday! But we are being cautious about covid. Until we feel it's completely safe from a public health perspective, we're keeping it local, and focusing on writing and recording. It's hard to stay patient sometimes, but...safety first!
What’s next for Megadose?
We're almost finished with our second record, so we'll be putting the finishing touches on that this fall. Stay tuned for something in early 2022 :)
Order the new album HERE.
Lana Williams
@swimdeeplana
Image: Jake Barrow
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