Hello Mary are making their UK touring debut alongside American Football this Autumn, which lines up with the release of their new album, Emita Ox. They tell us all about it…
[Gemma Cockrell]: Hi guys, how are you all doing? What have you been up to lately?
[Hello Mary]: We’re doing well! We’ve just been touring a lot.
[GC]: I’m really excited to talk about your upcoming album Emita Ox, but first, I want to go back in time a little bit. The band first came together from a youth music programme in your New York City high school. Could you tell us more about this process?
[HM]: So, Mikaela and Helena actually met in middle school and decided to do an after-school music program which is when we started playing music together. Hello Mary formed after we left the program but it was definitely inspired by our time there!
[GC]: Your music began as a homage to nineties alt-rock but with the new album, you have taken a more experimental approach to song-writing. What was this evolution like for the band, and how did you get to this point where you’ve forged your own path?
[HM]: Our song-writing and musicianship naturally developed as time went on. And our influences broadened. It was less deliberate, more just what felt accurate and current for our band.
[GC]: How has touring with other bands influenced you? Are there any particular influences you can pinpoint from musicians you have met while on the road?
[HM]: Bands we’ve toured with have less influenced our sound, but maybe more so our ability to understand more technical aspects of a live performance. For example, how fun it can be to have a lightshow.
[GC]: With all of this in mind, what are the biggest differences between your 2023 self-titled album, and your upcoming one? How do you feel you have evolved in the past year since your debut album was released?
[HM]: The biggest difference between the self-titled and Emita Ox is the use of other instruments besides drums, bass, and guitar. We leaned into production on this new record and added a lot of other layers. It feels like we have evolved in our song-writing and production skills.
[GC]: You’re all in your late teens and early twenties. What is it like to see the level of success you have received, when you’re all still at such a young age? How is this theme expressed through the upcoming album?
[HM]: It’s very cool to see! We hope it continues. Some of the songs touch on average things that twenty-somethings go through, but other than that, not sure there is a direct expression of that theme.
[GC]: The album’s title comes from the single ‘Three’, which is out now. Could you explain the story of how this track and the title came about, and what the title symbolises to you now?
[HM]: The title of the album was actually determined before that line was added to the song. The lyric was inspired by the title of the album. The song came about when we were in a creative rut. Stella urged Helena to bring in a new song and she came back with the bones for ‘Three’. It quickly became one of our favourites! Mikaela came up with the album title while the three of us were at a coffee shop in Asheville during the couple weeks we were recording. We all loved it pretty immediately and it stuck.
[GC]: You will make your UK live debut later this year for a headline at the Brixton Windmill, some UK festival appearances, and a tour in support of American Football. How are you feeling about this, and what are you most excited for when it comes to performing in the UK?
[HM]: We are so excited for all of it, just being in a new place and performing our music for international fans and meeting them.
[GC]: Finally, which tracks are you most excited for people to hear once the album is out? And what are you most looking forward to in general, looking ahead to the rest of 2024?
[HM]: Honestly, we are excited about the whole album. Going to the UK will surely be a highlight of this year, and the album coming out while we’re there is so perfect.
Emita Ox will be released on 13 September. Hello Mary will headline Brixton Windmill on 3 September, and tour with American Football between 11 September – 14 September.
