From dozens of atypical venues to the buskers on Newbury Street or in Harvard Square, vcialis 40mg the Greater Boston region has always been a music hub. Many local musicians spew from Berklee College of Music, whose eclectic mark on the city can be seen in bands ranging from avant-garde rockers Bent Knee to the folk pop act Grey Season.
Enter Plastic Waves: Berklee senior Andre Bellido’s psychedelic brainchild with roots in ‘60s and ‘70s rock. The talented 21-year-old musician pulls his influences from classics like The Beatles Revolver and the upbeat sounds of The Beach Boys, along with current greats like Tame Impala.
After nearly three years of building up a collection of songs that transition from a indie rock into more psychedelic grooves, Plastic Waves is here to make its debut with the single “Melancholy Sleep.” The track is the comfort food of psych rock, with its warm and engaging guitar riffs blended into dreamy vocals culminating in the catchy chorus that keeps you craving more from the band. The lyrics are something we can all relate to from one point in our lives, as Bellido cries from distant and reverb-drenched vocals: “Stuck in my head / it makes no sense / that I feel this way / and I carry all this weight.”
We got the chance to sit down with Bellido to learn more about how Plastic Waves originated, his musical influences, and what’s next for the project:
Allston Pudding: Tell me about Plastic Waves. Where did it originate?
Andre Bellido: So basically it started off as kind of a solo project. The name came after I started writing this stuff. I started writing in about 2013. I had a band in high school that was more alternative, then I got into a lot more psychedelic and started incorporating that into my writing. That’s when I realized there was a shift so it became what it is now.
AP: What inspired the single “Melancholy Sleep?”
AB: I started writing that in around 2012. Man, that was so long ago. It started not so different from where it is now, but the production changed a lot. It went even further into a psychedelic kind of sound. Originally I felt like I was channeling Kings of Leon or something of that sort, if it’s even possible to believe now. It was a slow kind of process. That was the transition into what I’m writing now, stylistically. It was a big leap for me.
AP: What is the song about?
AB: Song lyrics are kind of embarrassing to talk about sometimes. It’s about not finding someone that can make you feel the way you did before, maybe in a past relationship, and it being hard to move on from that. It’s about being able to accept being on your own and how important that can be.
AP: Yeah, definitely. What else do you have planned for 2015 outside of the single?
AB: We’re going to put out an EP soon. We don’t have a release date for it yet, but I’m doing the tracking on that. It shouldn’t be too far off now. I’d say probably by May or so would be realistic. We will probably drop another single before the release of the EP. We’re still planning that out. It’ll be a four-song EP.
AP: So you mentioned the name Plastic Waves. Where did that come from?
AB: That’s a good question. To be honest, there’s no actual significance to it. I’m not going to pretend that there is. I don’t know, I was thinking a lot about names and just wanted to set the right tone. I don’t remember how it came to be, but I kind of just thought of it in a moment.
AP: Cool! You also mentioned the transition into psychedelic rock. Who were some of those bands that you started getting into? What type of music were you writing before that?
AB: Alright, so originally I was into a lot of stuff like Arctic Monkeys and UK indie rock, which I still am today. Of course, I’ve always loved bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys. I think I just started listening to more of their psych records, like Revolver by The Beatles. It might be my favorite album of all time. I started thinking anything would sound amazing with those sounds and that type of production. I started incorporating that into how I write music.
I’m also a huge Tame Impala fan. That’s definitely an influence. Bands like Beach Fossils are also really cool. I love the lo-fi, gritty nature of bands like that incorporated into psychedelic music.
AP: So you’re the mastermind behind this project even though you have backing members. Can you talk to me about those band dynamics?
AB: I usually record everything in my room back home in a lo-fi setting. I’m from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. When I’m home I record a lot there.
The way the band works is even though they’re not writing with me, from the little that we’ve played live [the members] definitely bring a different dynamic. They breathe new air into the performance. I’m not too strict about the parts. They play the parts that are written, but they get their own feel into it, especially with the bass and drums. They’ll get their own groove into the music. We’ll play extended jams and things like that so I think that incorporates their sound and feeling into it. That’s essentially the dynamic of the band.
AP: Can you describe your personal creative process when you’re writing music?
AB: Usually I’ll think of stuff in my head. It just comes to me sometimes. A lot of people probably say that, but sometimes you just hear something in your head or sometimes I’ll just be messing around with guitar and find a line that I can build something over. A lot of times it’s actually bass lines. I’ll pick up my bass and come up with a bass line. From there, I’ll build chords around it and different things like that. I’m just hearing music in my head all day.
First I’ll record it on the voice recorder on my phone. Then I won’t record it on my laptop for a long time. I’ll just build up a bunch of voice memos with different things.
AP: You said that you’re from Ft. Lauderdale. I know there’s a good music scene down there. How would you say that’s impacted your musical preferences or career? Has it inspired you at all?
AB: To be honest, I’ve always felt detached from the musical scene down there. I feel like there’s more of a growth of indie rock now that I’ve been away. Whereas, when I was there I always felt there was more electronic or EDM. I’m into electronic music, but not as much EDM. I always felt like it was that kind of stuff and a lot of screamo and metalcore. I got into some of that for a little bit, because I had friends that were into that stuff.
Since I’ve gone back through these years I’ve realized there’s definitely been a growth in a lot of cool hardcore and indie rock bands. There’s a cool scene down there, and I’m finally starting to experience the side that I like more.
AP: What would you say are the benefits of getting your start as a band in the Boston music scene as opposed to other cities?
AB: I think Boston has a really, really cool, thriving music scene that I wasn’t aware of before I came here. I feel like everyone is super friendly and all of the bands really do like helping each other out and connecting each other. It makes you feel at home, and there’s definitely a connection between everyone, which is really cool. I feel like everyone is just trying to help each other get further in their music and push each other out there.
AP: Outside of the bands you mentioned previously, who would you say inspires you musically? Who are you listening to right now?
AB: Well, I already said the Beach Boys, but lately I’ve been listening to them quite a bit. Brian Wilson had this album that was supposed to be a Sergeant Pepper record that wasn’t put out until recently called The Smile Sessions. Apart from that, Kendrick Lamar’s new album is incredible. I’m a huge Foals fan, too. Friendly Fires I’ve been a fan of for a while and I started listening to them again. Julian Casablancas has this really good record that he put out with his band The Voidz, which I’ve been listening to a lot lately. Death From Above 1975 is a pretty big influence on me too.
AP: If you could work with any musician over the course of your career, whom would you want it to be?
AB: Alive or dead?
AP: Let’s go with alive.
AB: In terms of what people seem to be like, maybe off the top of my head Kanye. I wouldn’t actually want to, but it would be interesting to see what he’s like in the studio. It sounds so cliché that I say that, but I’m just honestly curious to see what he’d be like. Everyone hates on him so much and I really don’t think he’s as bad of a guy as everyone paints him to be.
It would be interesting, like the Paul McCartney dynamic that’s going on right now. He’s writing with him, and I’d love to see what that’s like.
AP: Alright, this is my last question for you and it’s not necessarily imperative. Because you’re getting your start on Allston Pudding, what’s your favorite type of pudding?
AB: I’m going to go with rice pudding, if that counts.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.