The Mellons - Introducing… The Mellons! (2022)

Introducing - The Mellons finds that balance somewhere in pages of the Beach Boys book of psych pop. Jepson and Beck unlocked the expansive potential of their songwriting when they found their match in another pair of collaborators. Multi-instrumentalist and producer Dennis Fuller and percussionist Ian Francis had worked together in a handful of bands, and Jepson and Beck enlisted them to join The Mellons and round out their sound. "All of these pieces of songs that Rob and I had swirling around in our heads started to magically come together," Beck says. Though the resultant tracks are jampacked with everything from clarinets and violins to sleigh bells and trumpets, the layers never overpower the intimate harmonies and honeyed lyrical emotionality at the songs' core. "I wanna get closer/ I wanna go deeper/ I wanna know it all," they sigh on opener "So Much to Say", surrounded by twirling guitar riffs and glimmering bells. The Mellons play a symphony's worth of instruments, and self-producing the record largely at Fuller's No. 9 Studios in Salt Lake City allowed them to chase that stratified sweetness to its heartfelt extreme. "Writing, arranging, and composing everything ourselves gives us the freedom to really get the exact sound we're all interested in," Fuller says. Always focused on the power of a taut hook, The Mellons made sure that freedom was used for a purpose. "We stay true to the musical stylings of the mid- to late-'60s while still creating room for the vogue," Francis says. "It's all about finding that balance." The nostalgic vibe to the psychedelia doesn't end at the music, as the quartet opt for paisley or matching turtlenecks as well as vintage collage. A trained illustrator and designer, Beck funnels visual influences into The Mellons' vibe.