Q&A with British trio Mellow Mayhems

– What inspired you to form Mellow Mayhems?

Hello The Further! Lovely to meet you! We were inspired mainly by a joint desire to make some catchy pop guitar music and a collective love of melodic music with a soul.

We all love to play live so that was the original draw for us to form the band and from then the natural step is to record some tunes!

– Your debut single “Tricks” has a captivating blend of genres. Can you tell us more about the creative process behind the song?

As Sam was writing the guitar parts, the song developed a similar structure to various Motown songs from the past.

Combined with Pete’s soulful basslines, it became even more Motown-esque and Steve’s drumming gave it even further definition. With that in mind, it made sense to add the horns, which was kind of the final part of the puzzle when we were coming up with the ideas for the song.

The Motown sound itself is such a draw for us because of the raw emotion, beautiful melodies and harmonies, and the range of instruments and rhythms, so it is definitely one of our muses.

– Can you share any memorable moments or challenges you encountered while recording “Tricks”?

I think we were all a bit nervous about the horns, how they would translate onto the track and if it would work. Fortunately, we think we got it just about right, largely thanks to the very talented Will Dollard who worked his horny magic in the studio. 
There was also a bit of cutting to shorten the track, making it a little leaner and radio-friendly. This came out nicely in the end but it can be hard and a bit frightening taking an axe to your artwork!

– As a new band, what are your hopes and goals for the future of Mellow Mayhems?

We would love to get out in front of as many people as possible at festivals and play some more outdoor gigs, maybe supporting some larger bands as well (if there’s any reading!!).

We just really want the opportunity to make people smile and have the MM sound delivered to lots more ears around the world!

– How do you think your live performances differ from your studio recordings, and do you have any favourite venues or cities to play in?

 In our live performances the energy of the music is very apparent, and a lot of effort goes into it.
The recordings maybe have the melody more at the front and centre so far, but we do like to mix things up a bit.
We recently transitioned to a more electric sound live having been using the semi acoustic guitar before so we think that gives us more power!

– Finally, what’s next for Mellow Mayhems?

Well, we have two more singles coming out, one in April and one in May, and then we have a live studio gig being broadcast on 8 April, around which we are raising money for the War Child charity.

Also – we’ll be releasing a bit more music after the summer, probably another two or three tracks including one upbeat number and something else a bit more menacing!