Why You Should Care: When a band gets featured in Rolling Stone even before their debut album drops, it’s time for you to start paying attention. The band’s single, “Marbles,” received a shout out in Rolling Stone’s “Songs You Need To Know” series ahead of the release of their debut, Burst (out now). Bands whose music is described as “shoegaze riffs and dream-pop melodies” are inevitably going to get my attention. After I heard this song, I was instantly hooked. I am increasingly becoming more and more intrigued by artists whose creative streaks are as in-depth and as thought out as Snarls’ musicianship, and I knew instantly I wanted to feature them on the blog.
Snarls have been developing their sound since 2017, releasing a five-track EP in 2018 and touring the United States in 2019. They’re about to embark on a tour with Citizen, hitting Chicago on March 21 for a sold-out show at the Beat Kitchen.
With the success of artists in their late teens and early twenties like Billie Eilish and Clairo, there’s clearly room for Snarls in the landscape. Though slightly more emo-sounding in the traditional sense, I could imagine that the band could find some overlap in the fans of the artists I just listed. I really can’t comprehend what it’s like to be a young adult in 2020 (is it bad I no longer consider myself one?), and Snarls’ attempt at telling me how it feels makes me feel a bit more understanding of the Tik Tok generation.
Check out my Q&A with Mick Martinez, guitarist of Snarls.
Chicago Haze: Were all of the band members into music from a young age? What was that development process like as a kid, if it was influential in childhood at all?
Snarls: We were all definitely into music as kids. Whether it was playing instruments early on or just dreaming of being a pop star, we were all definitely inspired by music and the “rock star” life. We had all played around on various instruments, but once we all got to high school our interests in music blossomed. We all attended The Arts & College Preparatory Academy, a performing arts school that was heavily involved in bringing us together to write music with each other.
Chicago Haze: Your single “Walk In The Woods” tackles the topic of young relationships and the ups and downs that come with falling in love as a teen/young adult. Does that theme continue in your debut full-length album?
Snarls: Absolutely. Pretty much the whole record is focused around the ups and downs of various relationships, whether they be romantic or platonic. These songs were written as a means to process those emotions.
Chicago Haze: 2019 was a huge year for the band, in terms of releasing your debut EP and getting some buzz from a few publications. Now as you go into 2020, what are you hoping to accomplish off that initial wave of success and the release of your debut album?
Snarls: We are super excited to release the album and be able to reach a wider audience than ever before thanks to the incredible publications that have continued to support us. We are also very excited about how much touring we have lined up and can’t wait to add more!
Chicago Haze: What artists, past or present, inspire your work or your live performance?
Snarls: We are very inspired by alt-rockers such as Wolf Alice and Courtney Barnett, but also emo bands like Citizen and pop artists like Snail Mail and Diet Cig. Diet Cig is a huge inspiration for my live performance, personally.
Chicago Haze: Your upcoming tour with Citizen is hitting major North American cities. What are you most looking forward to in terms of touring?
Snarls: We are SO excited to meet so many new people. The absolute best part of touring is making and meeting new fans, and seeing people sing along in cities you’ve never even been to. We’re also looking forward to seeing Citizen play every night, haha! We love them and are so thrilled that they decided to have us be a part of this tour.
Chicago Haze: I have to ask, what’s the inspiration behind the band’s name, if there is any?
Snarls: There actually is no inspiration! We get asked this a lot and always feel so goofy about it. Long ago, someone threw out the name “The Snarls” and we rolled with that for a little bit. But it wasn’t quite right, so we were like “Okay, drop the ‘The’ and make it lowercase. Because that’s cool”
Snarls’ debut album is out now.
Thanks for reading! Click here to check out all previous Artist Of The Month features.
- Kristin
stagedhaze.com 
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