OMAT is a band that’s fairly new to New York (via Brattleboro) but you definitely aren’t playing every weekend, you seem to play shows very selectively.  Is this intentional / how do you view developing as an artist in the face of an industry which often calls for ubiquity?

Dharma: We have a great time playing out; however, since the beginning, we have agreed to play no more than two shows per month. I have experience doing the every weekend thing with my previous band, The Snaz, and I also know what it feels like to burn out and stop playing shows for a long time because of pushing myself and the group too hard. Furthermore, I think I would disagree that the industry calls for ubiquity at all costs. For certain types of music, or because of the push for constant social media presence, artists feel oversaturation will serve them the best. But, some of my favorite artists maintain an air of mystery that keeps their expression alive and lets their art stand on its own. This strategy has helped us drive up ticket sales and create anticipation for the band and the audience at every performance. Our focus from the beginning has always been on the live performances; these two singles were the first songs written specifically for recording.

Sam: Playing shows is scary. But seriously, it is true that we decline a lot of shows, it comes down to quality over quantity. We try to stay focused on what we want and what’s best for us mentally. Also for me, I know that when a band I love rarely plays then I will be much more likely to go out and see them since it’s my only chance for a while. It’s easy to get burnt out on stuff these days, so we like to play shows that’ll make an impact instead of stressing out over booking as many shows as possible. We’ve gotten really lucky with some of the groups we have played with so far, so thank you to everyone that has helped us out in that way; you know who you are. 

Luke: Personally, I love playing out. It’s where I feel most comfortable. With all this great music in nyc right now it’s easy for folks to get burnt out or to be overshadowed by other groups. We’re thoughtful when choosing and have gotten to play great shows because of it.

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There’s specific imagery alluding to bars, street corners, losing your keys and the ghosts of people that linger within the songs, and a tenacity that’s reflected in the music itself, which refracts a kind of collage of the city that you can recognize by living here.  How much does this urban landscape inform your music?  

Luke: I think the city plays into the urgency of our music. On guitar i’m definitely influenced by the sounds of the subways and grates. 

Dharma: I love how thoughtful these questions are! I’ve written the lyrics for all our songs in the last two years, which were my first two years in the city. It’s funny because I often don't know exactly what the theme of a song is until I’m part way through or all the way through writing it! But now, in reflection, the lyrics are absolutely inspired by feeling deeply scared and deeply excited and deeply vulnerable moving from a small town like Brattleboro to NYC. I think the sense of ghosts lingering  comes from memories  before NYC, that already feels like another life entirely.

There’s a natural drama to each song that especially comes out when playing live where you can really feel the heaviness.  You once described your tunes as “love sludge music.”  New double single “Pollen” / “Knot” showcases how these elements of soft and loud really come into play.  What is key to balancing all these factors and how does this come into play in the live setting?

Sam: Dynamics is something we have worked on for a while. I think simply put, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. As much as I love a crushing wall of fuzz it’s definitely important to have dynamic changes to keep the ears happy. One of the great things about OMAT is we work super well together when it comes to arranging and writing music. I’d like to think you can hear each of our musical influences and personalities within each song. It might not be an incredibly smooth process; it’s actually quite chaotic more often than not but in the end we always come up with something sick. And there is nothing more satisfying than hitting the heavy part of a song while playing live; I just black out and hit the drums as hard as I possibly can. 

Dharma: The drama definitely comes from focusing on our live performances. We love heaviness but usually a big part of the song writing process is editing down some of those parts or adding quieter less busy sections to make the heavy parts hit even harder. Haha I don’t remember where the “love sludge” thing came from, but I love it, our music is definitely romantically somber while being inspired by sludgy shoegaze and grunge. This has to do with our different influences and writing styles. Each band member brings something different.

Luke: We have a lot of fun on stage. No two shows are exactly the same. Our live dynamics are an extension of our band dynamic: Tumultuous harmony. 

What’s next for rock music?  What kind of music / feelings / experiences do you feel drawn to especially?  

Sam: Hard to say. Things like Tiktok are kind of ruining the music scene and industry, but also some good bands have gotten exposure from their songs randomly being used. Real fifteen minutes of fame vibe going on. I do think that guitar music is about to make a comeback in a big way from what I can tell and It feels like the scene in NYC at least is about to explode; there are lots of great people and bands here right now. I’m just hoping that people will start listening to music that makes them feel something and that they will make a fool of themselves at rock and roll shows. 

Luke: I think the future of rock (and all music) is the end of genre designation. The amalgamation of genres in New York right now is incredible. I think, and hope, it’s the beginning of a new age of music unencumbered by social expectations. 

Dharma: whos to say. I don’t think being a musician or playing in a band gives you that much authority to even predict this because everyone so easily gets wrapped up in their little scenes. Especially in NYC. I’ve been reflecting on local bands that I see here that sell out every show and feel “big” or “famous” to my friends and I. Meanwhile they have maybe 300 Spotify streams. It’s an interesting facade, but I appreciate the love of live music in the city so much. As well as the fact that we’ve been able to do a lot of amazing things with OMAT without any released music or big social media following. But I agree with Luke, I think genres are becoming more and more interconnected, influences are blurred, roles are reversed, rock and roll will never die!

Tom: When a band is completely open and honest with their music and their craft, you can tell they are engaged with each other and the audience, and you can feel that energy in the room; Everyone is fully encapsulated in the moment. It almost feels like a dream state. With this usually comes incredible moments of risk-taking and improvisation, and you can feel the personality and soul of that artist/person/band shining through. These experiences are what makes it all worth it for me. 

Tell us more about the recording process/inspiration behind this new track!

Sam: We recorded with our comrade Austin Eichler from Catcher at their DIY studio, same way we did Optimization. He’s great to work with and shoots us ideas to play around with here and there. We record everything live and just play until we get it. Nick Corbo from Spirit Was mixed the singles and he is a genius so it’s always a delight to have him on a project. Jonathan Shenke mastered it and did a fantastic job. Generally one of us will come in with the framework of a song and we all flush it out from there. I think both of these songs were most of the way done by the time we recorded them, so we got to mess around with trying some weird stuff in the studio which was great. Murph played a horn, that was cool. These were the first tunes we wrote specifically with recording them in mind. 

Luke: We always hit the studio with a basic framework, but much like the rest of OMAT’s work, it’s ever-changing. We recorded with Austin Eichler of Catcher in his bushwick studio. We were blessed by the mixing magic of Nick Corbo from Spirit Was and the final touches were perfected by the incredible Jonathan Shenke of P.E. and Eaters. 

Any under the radar musical peers we need to know?  

Sam: There’s too many to name but I’m pretty stoked on Zastava from Detroit at the moment. But all of our musical friends are rippers.

Luke: Everyone we know on the scene is doing amazing things. I’m constantly impressed and inspired by the folks around us. Some heavy hitters I hope to hear from soon include: Jay Villains, Kilowatt, and Nanabi. 

Dharma: Junebug, The Down & Outs, Libby Quinn, MX Lonely and our friends from VT: Lily Seabird, Robber Robber and Dari Bay.

Tom: Our own yokos, Vega Maestro, Scum Shots, Wince, CPS, Yooper  

What’s special about the mix you’ve made? 

Sam: It’s bands that inspire us, some of our ‘colleagues’ and generally some delicious tunes. Song is sacred!

Dharma: I think we tried to pick a great mix of our faves and the more specific influences that inspired  these tracks. 

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