MELLOW is a fem fronted, indie rock band based in Meanjin with influences ranging from pop punk to blues to theatrical power metal. Drawing inspiration from bands such as Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers and Foo Fighters, MELLOW are storytellers with a current theme of wrongful people in wrongful situations. Respectfully, MELLOW's live shows promise an engaging, energetic, and emotive set that's guaranteed to leave you wanting more. With driving drum and bass lines to complement their powerful vocals and brutal guitar tones, MELLOW is anything but. This is our story, told by vocalist and lyricist Lauren Rowe: Since a young age, I've always dreamed of playing music alongside my best friends on the same stages where I've seen my favourite artists play, however for years I had no musician network. In 2020 I made the decision to begin studying music in Brisbane with hopes of meeting the band of my dreams, which to my surprise was a dream come true by March 2021. MELLOW began as the project of myself and Isabella Wood-de-Melo (lead guitar), however it wasn’t long until our friends Jackson Sweetman (bass), Nikolai Bray (drums) and Benjamin Lanzon (rhythm guitar) jumped on board. Fellow Brisbane-based artist Fomi offered us our first gig opportunity as a support act before MELLOW had even written a song together, so we quickly got to work to deliver the best live experience we possibly could. The show was a success however we had some doubts about our sound at the time and the songs that we had rushed to write.
A few months of gigs later the band decided to take a short break from live shows to give ourselves the time to write new work and we quickly discovered where our doubts had come from. We were trying to be something that we just weren’t. It was during this transitional period that Lanzon made the decision to move on from the band to focus on his own musical career and Felix Fogarty temporarily joined the band in his place. With our new songs that we were slowly writing together over time, we stopped being restrictive and leaned more into each other’s strengths as musicians, as well as our individual influences of jazz, musical theatre, metal, and blues. By doing this I can happily say that we’ve truly created an alt-rock sound of our own that we love and is unlike so many others.
Fast forward to June 2022 and MELLOW is releasing their debut single “Sad Posting on the Internet” with new rhythm guitarist Ella Belfanti apart of the team. Despite the new single's quirky title, "Sad Posting on the Internet" highlights feelings of insecurity and those reoccurring thoughts that can often arise with mental health struggles. The lyrics to "Sad Posting on the Internet" were initially just a journal entry from a time in my life when I was struggling a lot with my mental health and my relationships with the people around me. The insecurity outlined in the lyrics can weigh so heavily on a person and feel incredibly isolating. Turning this vulnerable moment into our first single became so important to us in hopes that this song can help others feel seen, know that it's OK not to feel OK, and even just for a moment, feel less alone. “Sad Posting on the Internet” is a song to hug your friends to, with a chant-like bridge providing the perfect opportunity to scream out your feelings.
Tips to fellow artists:
- Be true to yourself and your art will benefit
- Network, network, network! Be kind to everyone you meet and you'll find your people
- Be a supportive member of your community and your community will support you
- Turn your dreams into goals and goals into plans
- The MUSIC is the most important
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