The Refrain Interview: Messmaker

Cleveland indie alt-rock duo MESSMAKER has just released their latest single, “We Are The Architects“. The track marks their first release since their debut album, 2020’s Through The Fire. Musically, the track sees the band take a slightly more mature turn in production while continuing to perfect the sound they started on the first album.

We had the chance to ask Messmaker a couple questions as part of The Refrain Interview Series. Check it out below.

Refrain Music Blog: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You have a new single out now. What’s it called?

Michael McFarland: Thank you so much for having us! It’s a pleasure to chat with you.

Freja McNeal: Thank you for having us as well! The new single is titled “We Are The Architects”.

RMB: What is the song about, in terms of lyrics? Any overarching messages or themes?

Michael: Lyrically, this song is about the struggle to hold on to the creativity that we’re all born with. When we’re young, there’s no concept of what is or isn’t possible; the world isn’t bound by the limitations of what others expect or believe. As we stumble our way to adulthood it’s really easy to lose connection with the imagination and vision that every child has. But, you know, screw that. We get to choose what our future looks like.

RMB: Is this single part of an album? If so tell us a little bit about that.

Michael: This one’s just a stand-alone single; it was originally released as a stripped-down, acoustic song as part of my solo project. We decided to give it the full MESSMAKER treatment, and it felt like we’d discovered the song it was always supposed to be. We knew we had to release it as a single.

RMB: How does this single differ from your previous work?

Freja: Well, it’s the first recording on which I played drums, so there’s that.

Michael: In putting together the instrumental arrangement for this, we played a lot more with textures and layers, adding in some looped guitar riffs and synth parts to give it a really lush, full sound. And, as she mentioned, Freja kicked ass on the drums. What you hear on the record was her first take in the studio, and it’s a perfect fit for the vibe of the song.

RMB: What’s the story on how it was recorded? The Who, When, Where etc. Was it a long process or quick? Any good stories about the recording process?

Michael: As far as stories, there’s that whole one-take thing on drums I just mentioned!

Freja: I think we spent more time setting up microphones than I actually spent behind the drumset

Michael: We recorded this at our own studio, which is in the basement of the house in Cleveland where we both live. It’s this crazy old Victorian mansion that I’ve been gradually turning from the house in Fight Club to the house in Ant-Man, except instead of a secret research lab in the basement there’s a recording studio. The live room also doubles as our rehearsal space; I’d been messing around with all the guitar and synth parts and felt like the song was in a pretty good spot… after rehearsal one day, we decided to lay down drums, and I suppose the rest is history.

RMB: Tell us a little about the band. Who all is in it and how did you form? How long have you been together?

Freja: That’s a complicated question to answer. If you want to be technical, we go back to 2010 when I started playing bass for Michael’s solo project.

Michael: Then I left the state for a while.

Freja: Then he moved back and we started playing together again in late 2018.

Michael: It was only recently that I decided I was going to put that solo project on the back burner in favor of being in a band, and MESSMAKER as a power duo was formed.
Freja: So yeah, it’s just the two of us.

RMB: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Freja: When it comes to drummers, Zac Farro from Paramore, Josh Eppard from Coheed & Cambria, and Tucker Rule from Thursday are probably at the top of my list.

Michael: The bands that made me want to start writing music were all 90s alt-rockers; Eve 6, Our Lady Peace, Semisonic. From there, my musical tastes have been constantly expanding, and I’d include everyone from U2 to Run the Jewels in my influences. For me, everything starts with the song; if the lyrics and melody are there, you can dress it up a hundred ways and it can still move people. That said, I love the wardrobe we’re giving our songs; I’ve always wanted to create music that, were I not part of the project, I’d still listen to, and I’m so excited that it feels like we’re hitting that mark.

RMB: What’s the one thing you are most proud of in your career so far?

Michael: I’m in love with the live show we’ve put together for these songs; sharing the stage with Freja is an absolute joy, and I think we’ve done a great job of taking the intricate studio arrangements of this music and translating it to the stage in a way that feels true to the record but also like the audience is getting a unique experience.

Freja: Plus, our light show is pretty dope.

RMB: If you had to pitch your music to a potential fan in less than 10 seconds, what would you say?

AIGHT BRO, LISTEN. TAKE INDIE ROCK, CRANK IT UP, AND STACK IT WITH HOOKS THAT’LL GET STUCK IN YOUR HEAD FOR DAYS. BANGERS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE, BRO. BANGERS!

RMB: What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that you think everyone needs to hear or that has meant the most to you?

Freja: Always perform with the same energy regardless of the size of the crowd, because you never know who’s in the room. Even if it’s just 5 people watching, the right person might be one of them.

Michael: “Great songs aren’t just written, they’re re-written.” -Some Dude in Nashville

RMB: If you could go back in time, what’s a piece of advice you would give to a younger you?

Freja: Get better technique and stop breaking sticks.

Michael: Tell Freja to put down the bass and start playing drums again.

RMB: What’s coming up next for your musical project?

Freja: Lots of shows, some we can talk about, some we can’t.

Michael: We’ve also got 3 more stand-alone singles and a cover song we’ll be releasing over the coming months… those are all in post-production right now, being mixed and mastered. After that, we’ve got an EP we’re about 90% of the way through recording, so tons of new music is in the pipeline!

RMB: Anything we haven’t thought of that you want to talk about? Now is the time!

Michael: I’d really like to talk about whether a pop-tart is a ravioli or a calzone.

Freja: Obviously ravioli. There’s not even an argument to be made.

Michael: Fair enough! In that case, I think we’ve pretty well covered it.