“Millennial Club” is an outfit of dedicated and innovative artists. They make music that is relaxed, casual and full of personal experience. Their music has gained millions of streams for its unique sound. I got the chance to catch up with the band to discuss their their plans, history and their new song “Coffee In The Morning.”
Please identify yourselves, what your role is, and (if you’re comfortable doing so) your ages?
- Andres Owens – Lead Singer / Frontman – 23
- Jared Ortiz – Bass / Keyboard – 22
- Jake Stevenson – Guitar – 22
- Tyler Kamei – Drums – 22
What is the story behind your band name? What are your goals as a collective?
Back in 2015, we were trying to come up with a name and instinctively made a little list. They were all kinda focused on the same thing: love, relationships, etc., but I think The Millennial Club was the only name on that list that really stuck out to us — which is ironic because the name itself wasn’t really derived from of any of the ideas we had in mind. We don’t exactly remember why we decided on it but honestly, at this point, TMC is its own thing and it’s so much bigger than any of us — we all really love the direction we’re heading. It feels like people really think about TMC as a “club”, which is cool because it’s kinda like a link for people who like our music. I’m very grateful for what we’re building.
What inspired you all to come together?
Our love for music. At the end of the day, when you strip away all the photos and social media and videos and all that stuff, we just genuinely love playing music together. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
What is your story as a band?
We all met in high school — in jazz band, specifically. I think we could all tell — even though we didn’t make music together at the time — that we all could play. Like, really play. Music just came kinda naturally to all of us, so when we finished up with school and whatnot, I began writing music with Jared. Not long after, we added both Jake and Tyler, and within a few sessions of writing/playing together, we could all tell we had something pretty special. The chemistry was just there; that’s how it all came together and we’ve been playing as TMC together ever since.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5jTa1PgxSS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
What inspired “Coffee In The Morning?”
“Coffee In The Morning” kinda came about very organically. I had started writing about feelings and love and all that other bs one day, and kinda stumbled upon the line: ‘If it was easy, everyone would do it”. That was the catalyst of it, really. Once we had that line, we built around the track and began filling in the blanks to fit the concept of the song. It’s actually one of my favorite songs at the moment because it keeps me going when I’m feeling kinda low.
“Coffee In The Morning” has this lovely bittersweet sound (to me). What were your
goals when creating the song?
A: I’m not sure that we really had any particular goal in mind when writing and producing this track. I think whenever I set out to write a song, I just want it to be honest, and for “Coffee In The Morning”, it wouldn’t have made much sense to write it any other way. It’s a hopeful thought, but one that only comes about when you’re in a low place all the while making a very intentional and conscious decision to keep trying. That’s kind of the message and feeling we hope listeners of the song would take away.
There seems to be some influence from the band LANY in your work (though you have your own unique sound). How do you compare your music to your muses?
We’ve gotten a lot of comparisons to certain bands like LANY, and while we do listen to them from time to time, we wouldn’t necessarily consider them our “muses”. we have a clear and cohesive vision of what the “TMC sound” is but it’s tough because even though we have over 20 tracks in the works, only six tracks are out and released in the world. That makes it kinda hard to truly showcase our coherent sound as a band, albeit everything will come in due time. Patience and diligence is key and we’re learning that every step of the way.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzwPatPgzqu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
What is the most important thing to you all as a band?
At the end of the day, the music is the most important element to the band. We want to be known for the music we make as musicians. Without that, TMC wouldn’t be what it is today. We’re very excited for our fans to hear our new sound in 2020. It’s still what you would expect from a TMC track, but with new sounds we haven’t showcased before.
How do you prepare for your live shows?
For live shows, we practice often to try and make sure we’re at our prime, especially before an upcoming show or festival.
What is next for you as a group?
Hopefully, we will finish recording our next EP and have released it by the middle of 2020, and possibly another EP by the end of the year. One of our biggest findings as a band is that finishing music sometimes take more time than previously thought. Even with deadlines, we make sure not to rush our process so we can release the best sounding music possible. Once music is released, we can’t just go back and “make a quick edit”. For that reason, we take our time and try to go over everything in great detail. It’s worth it. ◡̈
You can stream their music, including “Coffee In The Morning,” here.
Feature image courtesy of Carly Whalen
