Hello Mary Talk New Single, Musical Influences And More

The New York-based indie rock band Hello Mary have released their latest single ‘0%’ which is taken from their forthcoming album “Emita Ox”. The band kindly chatted to us about their latest single, musical influences and more:

Who is in Hello Mary, what do they play and how did you all meet?

Mikaela Oppenheimer (bass/ synth), Stella Wave (drums/ vocals) Helena Straight (guitar/ vocals).

HS: Mikaela and I met when we were in sixth grade. We became very fast friends and began our musical exploration together about 2 years later, in eighth grade. Then we put out a couple demos on SoundCloud that we recorded in my house with my dad on drums. We didn’t intend for the songs to reach many ears, but miraculously somebody asked us to play a show after hearing them. Since we didn’t have a drummer at the time, we asked the organizer if they knew anyone who might be able to play the show with us. They put us in touch with Stella and we’ve been together ever since 🙂

What is your earliest musical memory?

SW: Probably being at one of my moms shows. She’s a drummer too, so I spent a lot of time in show environments as a kid.

HS: My brother and I used to listen to Philadelphia Chickens on our CD player all the time… I don’t remember that much about it but it was really hilarious and fun and essential to our upbringing

MO: When I was younger I was obsessed with Single Ladies (put a ring on it) by Beyonce and I remember dancing with my family to it almost every day after dinner.

I wanted to speak on your new single ‘0%’. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?

We were just at our practice space jamming and it emerged pretty naturally. We all contributed random words to write lyrics. We knew we wanted to write something more angular and a bit more cut throat, so we felt like bass/drum heavy instrumentation with more intense vocals would achieve that.

Where did you record the single and who produced it?

We recorded at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, NC with Alex Farrar- he co-produced, engineered, and mixed it.

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

The music video is compiled of camcorder footage the three of us took throughout the recording process and touring we did in early 2024. We gave the whole camera to our editor friend Caroline Knight and told her to make a cool video.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

We hope to have played as tightly as possible and to have had lots of fun.

Tell us about what the rest of the year has set up for you now you’ve announced your album?

We have a lot of touring ahead of us. We will be going to the UK in August for the first time ever so that’s super exciting.

Do you have any favourite pieces of technology you use on stage.

MO: I would have to say my new Arturia Microfreak 🙂 so fun so versatile, I’m excited to keep exploring it.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Brooklyn, NY. Wholesome, diverse, real, busy, beautiful.

How do you look after your voices?

Not sure exactly what this question means.. If you mean how do we take care of our singing voices, I think the answer is that sadly we do very little. We probably should do more.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

MO: For some reason I am thinking of the novel Distant Star by Roberto Bolaño. It’s about a pilot and a poet during the Chilean revolution. I love this story! It is so rich and that’s sort of how I think about our music too hehe.

Which of your tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

a. Three ? Though not actually sure how to answer this
a. 0%
a. Knowing You

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Influences: Radiohead, Black Midi, PJ Harvey, Big Thief, Nina Nastasia, Air, Elliott Smith and many others

Recommendations: Lifeguard, @, Water From Your Eyes, Chanel Beads, This is Lorelei, Bruiser and Bicycle.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024?

Yes! In August and September! Some headlining, some festivals, and some dates with American Football.

What makes Hello Mary happy and what makes you unhappy?

We are happy making music, listening to music, analyzing music, eating food, hanging with buddies, traveling, reading, laughing, collaborating on funny bits, meeting down to earth people. We are unhappy lugging our gear around airports, being irrationally frightened and paranoid, being in extreme weather conditions, feeling sickly, being stuck in traffic, playing a show with bad sound on stage.