CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 138: MAIZIE ON REDEFINING 2000's POP PUNK FOR A MODERN ERA

Interview by Molly Inglis.

Drawing inspiration from the beloved pop punk anthems of the 2000s, Maizie, a band based in Naarm/Melbourne, has dropped their latest track, Make Believe.

Following the release of their debut EP earlier this year, the trio, Maya Ostrowski, Hayden Overend, and Jed Pagtakhan is back with a high-energy track that captures the intense highs and lows of ending a thrilling, yet turbulent relationship.

With its fast-paced beat and electrifying lyrics, Make Believe is sure to get you on your feet and headbanging, serving as a nostalgic nod to the genre's golden era.

Future Mag Music recently caught up with Maizie to discuss their new release.

FMM: Your new track, Make Believe, which at the time of this interview, comes out tomorrow. First off, how are we feeling and what can you tell us about it?

Maya: I'm really excited. I think we're all excited. I think it's a little bit different, like same style, but I think it's a little bit different from our other stuff. I think it's really fast paced and energetic, exciting and we've performed it live a few times which has always been super fun. I'm excited for people to get to see it, hear it in their ears and I forgot it was out tomorrow, but that'll be cool.

FMM: So your single is about the thrilling hot-and-cold emotions that come with the end of exciting yet tumultuous relationships. How'd you guys go about conveying that message in the track?

Jed: I came up with it because we were struggling to come up with a melody and what it was actually about, so when I was playing around with it, it just flowed that it was going to be about that. It's nothing really something I’ve based it off or thought about, but it worked in the end and everyone was happy with how it was made.

Maya: And it started off with just the riff, right? So you kind of took that, which was already high energy, and just matched it with everything else. Jed and I both wrote these lyrics and obviously, we all wrote everything, but we used some cliche lyrics and stuff but it worked, so it's fun.

FMM: You already talked about how it's kind of a new, different angle you're going with. Was there any experimentation on the track or something that was new to your creative process?

Hayden: It wasn't anything new as such. It was more so us all continuing to work together and just figuring things out. We've tried different parts, like what's in this song, in other songs, but this is still sort of fresh. I think we just sped it up a little more; that's the main thing.

It's probably the fastest track that we have so far, so we just really sped things up and just try to play as hard and fast as possible for two and a half minutes or however long the track is.

Maya: Yeah, I think we're trying to do a little bit more modern aspects while still keeping that 2000 style.

FMM: You can definitely hear that in the track, which I love. You're taking what's old and classic, but having a new spin on it. You had your debut EP come out back in March, did you find yourselves taking time off from creating new music after its release, or did it motivate you even more perhaps to keep creating and making more music? 

Hayden: I think we wrote this song whilst we were still recording the EP. It was like instant. We didn't really stop at all. It was just go, go, go. I find that's what we're sort of like as a band. We don't really take too much time off. We just keep going. 

Maya: I think the most time we’ve taken off is two weeks probably.  

Hayden: But even if it's just separately, like not in band rehearsals or writing sessions, we're all still sort of working on things and ideas, nonstop. We keep pushing through and we don't really take many breaks. Our breaks are probably just rehearsing for shows. That’s what we consider our breaks.

FMM: Was there a particular reason this track didn't make it onto the EP?

Jed: I think it was a bit too late.

Hayden: Yeah, it was a bit too late and I think it is slightly different style-wise from the EP.  It's still definitely Maizie and it's our style, but it's just slightly different. We thought it would make more sense as its own, standalone single rather than potentially getting lost within the full EP. 

Maya: Even with what the song's about, most of the songs on the EP were about growing up, childhood, going into adulthood and things like that. I guess this song is a little bit about relationships that can be messy, but it's mostly just really fun. So, I guess it's different.

FMM: I'd also love to touch on the cover art for the single. I really love it. I love the use of the bright colours and then having it contrast with the black and white. Is there anything you can tell us about how the idea for the single art came about?

Hayden: Yeah, my girlfriend's sister did the art for us. We gave her the track and our logo and just gave her freedom and she crushed it, which is cool.

Maya: We were all so excited when we saw it. I think we were at a gig and then saw it. I thought it was so cool. I was like, ‘No way!’ She just thought about it mostly on her own through with the lyrics and the track and everything.

FMM: When you played the single live, what was the reception like? How did the audience react?

Maya: It was a lot of people's favourites.

Jed: I think a lot of people were surprised, because it does stand out quite a little bit because of how fast it is and how just punchy it is playing it live. I feel like it kind of shocks all the fans, the audiences and the other band members that we play along. We've got a couple comments saying, ‘Oh you should definitely record this song next. I'll definitely save it to my playlist.’ We're just really keen to actually play it live again and actually have it out on Spotify and everything.

FMM: Can you describe what the atmosphere is like at one of your shows? I feel like it's very high energy from what I've seen online.

Hayden: Definitely. We just try to get everyone pumped as much as possible. I guess our genre of music sort of helps with that because the songs are quite fast and energetic. It makes it easier for the crowd to get into, but yeah, it's usually pretty high energy. We're all giving it 110% for sure, just hoping that the crowd are getting into it as well.

Maya: I don't accept If they're not high energy. You gotta tell them.

FMM: Do you guys have any pre-show rituals you do before going on?

Maya: I normally just warm up my voice in the toilet, so if I'm in the toilet for ten minutes, that's what I'm doing.

Hayden: Warm ups and stretches.

Maya: You do a lot of stretches? 

Hayden: Yeah, I do a lot of stretches, that's about it. We sort of just chill as a band together and just hang. I find it's good doing that just to relax before you play, because it's easy to get stressed out and worry about everything before you go out and play. Chilling and sort of not thinking about it, makes it easier to prepare in a way.

FMM: What do you guys love about the pop-punk genre? Can you tell us what the scene’s like in Melbourne at the moment?

Maya: [Talking to Hayden]. You're probably the most pop-punk person.

Hayden: Well, I sort of love everything about it. It's just very inclusive.

Maya:  Good energy. 

Hayden: Yeah, it's just good energy. Everyone sort of has fun. There’s no real negatives to it and in Melbourne or in Australia as a whole, I just feel like it's getting bigger and bigger, which is cool because it's been a little while since the scene was really thriving. Pop-punk wasn't as popular five years ago, but now it's coming back and it's coming back strong. It's cool to be a part of that and everyone is just there to have a good time, which is cool. It crosses over as well to the scene so the people who usually go to the pop-punk shows, are going to the hardcore shows or the metalcore shows. It's just like it's one big crossover and it's cool. It's just nice to see.

Maya: We've made some really cool friends as well, which is one of my favourite parts; meeting other people in the scene.

FMM: And so my final question for you guys is, if you could describe your track in just three words, what would they be?

Maya: Would you want to do one each?

JED: Hype.

Maya: Fun.

Hayden: Fast.