Mateo Garcia of Gauntly has a lot to say on his new EP Sorry I’m Not From Here via Whelmed Records. We caught up with Garcia about what his new EP is about, the Columbia born, Massachusetts based musician holds twinkly yet riff driven emo with a touch of indie. With variation in tone and garage-like elements similar to his favorite artist a la Glocca Morra mixed with the solo aspect of Into It. Over It., Gauntly is on the rise in the world of modern emo.
Tell me a little about what the album is about.
I keep finding myself saying ‘sorry, I’m not from here’ all the time. Most recently when I found out the ‘wazaaaaa’ thing wasn’t from Scary Movie but from a Budweiser commercial. I grew up in Colombia, El Salvador, and later Florida and Boston, so somewhere in the moves I missed a little of universal cultural references, but didn’t necessarily ever feel too out of the loop because of it, so I just excuse myself by saying that whenever it comes up. I like to think all the songs on the EP feel the same, comfortable in other contexts like the other comps/ways they came out, but finally found a home in this release.
The record is gritty, yet soulful. What were some of the inspirations behind the record and recording process?
Ive been listening to a lot of different music and stealing bits and pieces that make me feel a certain way and rearranging them so they work for whatever I’m trying to say. Anything from Underoath to As Tall as Lions, Bon Iver etc.
Sometimes silence or isolating the vocals in a track is so much more powerful than having everything start at once, like your track “Dreams of Fire”…it’s definitely one of my favorites. Why did you choose to do that?
The first line of that song is really close to me, so I figured giving lines like that some space to shine is important, then using the music behind it to support it in some way. People always tell me the screaming in Flesh off of Mire catches them off guard every time and that’s the whole point, realizing something beautiful or delicate can also jarring or have imperfections if you will.
I’m looking forward to taking these songs on the road for a couple of days in April. I’m going out with my friends in Animal Flag for a couple of their record release shows and they’ll be playing as my band so that should be different and very exciting.
What is your favorite song and why?
“Be Afraid” by Glocca Morra because every time I hear it I feel the same excitement I felt when i heard it the first time. As far as the new EP goes, it’s hard to say, I think “Dreams of Fire” is probably one of the strongest songs I’ve written so far and it sounds just like I pictured it, but “Pésame” came together very quickly and I think the recording captured the weird feeling of the aftermath of losing someone kind of well, so probably either of those, but always Glocca Morra.
What does this record mean for you in terms of growth as an artist?
I was trying to hone in on what the second full length is gonna sound like, and that’s meant a bit more thought on the arrangement of things, playing a lot with dynamics, and instrumentation. The next record is definitely going to have a bigger scope, but I feel like it has a more definite direction than the ones before it. I feel like there are less boundaries and more tools and opportunities to explore so we’ll see how that all pans out.
Listen to the album on Bandcamp here.
