Make Out Monday have never been a band to stay in one lane. Blending punk energy with pop melodies, nostalgic 80s textures, and heartfelt storytelling, the trio continues to evolve with each release — and somehow, they make it all feel effortless. Their latest single, “Back to the Feeling,” is a shimmering example of that versatility: a retro-tinged anthem that pays homage to the sounds they grew up loving while staying true to the raw, unfiltered chemistry that defines them. We caught up with frontman Zack, drummer Seth, and guitarist Ezra to talk about the creative spark behind their new track, the way their songwriting has matured, and how they manage to stay grounded and goofy in an industry that often takes itself too seriously. From late-night jam sessions and Beach Boys inspiration to spontaneous studio laughter and philosophical reflections on connection, Make Out Monday prove that authenticity — and a good sense of humor — are still the heart of great music.
Can you walk us through the genesis of your latest single? How did it evolve from initial idea to finished track?
The song actually started as an acoustic guitar riff that Seth (our drummer) came up with. I (Zack) really liked the progression, so I started coming up with some melodies and lyrics that I thought fit the song. In the first pass, I came up with what ended up being essentially the pre-chorus and chorus, as well as rough versions of the verses. The guys loved it. So I experimented a bit more, and came up with quite a few alternate versions of the verses and choruses, but Seth and Ezra repeatedly said they just liked the original version better lol. So we ended up mostly sticking with my original vocal and melodic ideas. The only thing that really ended up changing was the last pre-chorus, which we came up with pretty late into the recording process.
Where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics—personal experiences, stories you’ve heard, or something else entirely?
Occasionally, I’ll write the lyrics based on stories other people have told me, such as band members or friends of ours. But primarily, a lot of the inspiration comes from personal stories. Often, I’ll change some of the facts, or view the story through a bit of a different lens so that it’s pretty indistinguishable in terms of who or what the song is about. I think when you do this as a writer, it helps the song to take on a life of its own and mean different things to different people. But yeah, primarily personal stories, or even just made up stories that become personal to me as I’m telling them.
How do you approach blending genres or experimenting with new sounds while staying true to your core identity?
Maybe this is the wrong way to do it, but these days we rarely think about genre. “Back to the Feeling” is a good example of that. The song has kind of an 80s retro sound, and that’s fairly by design. But really, we tend to let the sounds of the song be determined by… the song itself. Back to the Feeling felt like an homage to 80s music we loved, so we decided to go that direction with the sounds and the production. “Every Little Everything” always felt like a big rock song to us, so we let the instrumentals and production mirror that. Because we LOVE punk music, it’s inevitable that we’re going to write and create some punk songs, such as “Play It Again, Sammy.” But we don’t tend to sit around and go: “Guys. We really need to make a new punk song.” We just end up letting the songs take their own life, and the genre seems to form out of that.
Are there any albums or artists that have shaped your musical style in unexpected ways?
I think most people see us as a pretty generic punk band. So the fact that songs like “Kissaphobic” were actually completely inspired by Pet Sounds and the Beach Boys is pretty ironic and unexpected. Chili Peppers have influenced some of our guitar riffs. As a drummer, Seth loves John Bonham. We all like heavy metal… and we all like Pop music. I won’t say which song, but one of our songs is heavily influenced by Lana Del Rey. “Back to the Feeling” is very much our love letter to Tears for Fears. So yeah, we draw inspiration from a lot of different places.
When writing a song, do you focus more on melody, lyrics, or atmosphere first?
It often changes from song to song. Usually it either starts with a lyrical idea I have, or an instrumental idea that Ezra or Seth have. I think atmosphere is usually what we think about last. Once we’ve got a solid instrumental or vocal down (or both), then we think about the ways we want to create atmosphere around the song or let it grow into something else. It’s at that point that we go… hmmm. What is the genre of this song? Or what direction can we take it stylistically?
How do you collaborate as a band during the writing and recording process? Is it usually democratic, or does someone take the lead?
I think I (Zack) usually have a lot more to say about the lyrics or melodies. But beyond that, we’re all very democratic when it comes to which songs we decide to record, which versions of the song work best, and how we want to go about recording them. Any time there’s a disagreement, we’ll literally just take up a vote, and since there’s three of us… It always works out in the end lol.
What’s one moment in the studio that perfectly captures your chemistry as a group?
One of the last songs we recorded was Back to the Feeling. And I just remember us and the producers half recording, half watching the Arnold Schwarzenegger documentary on Netflix for some reason. We were all laughing, calling the song “Back to the Fart” or something like that (we like to mock our own songs). And I think that perfectly captures what our chemistry looks like. Haha we’re just a bunch of goofballs doing what we love. If that ever changes, it’ll be the day we hang up the patch chords.
How do you resolve creative differences when they arise?
We like to hear ourselves talk sometimes lol. So if any differences arise, we oddly enjoy the conflict (if you can even call it conflict). We’ll just sit around for an hour or so, and all discuss what we wanna do, or why something isn’t working. By the end of that, we basically always figure out what the issue is and figure out a solution. Knock on wood, but most of the time, our visions tend to align anyway.
How does performing live influence the way you write and record music?
That’s a good one. I think a direct example of that is “Every Little Everything.” We used to play that song live and people always reacted really well to it. We weren’t even initially going to record it, but the reaction live was always so great… We were like, “We have to record this one.” And we wanted to keep the same big rock energy that the song had live, so that’s what we shot for in the recording process. We have a TON of energy live, so it can actually be hard to capture that fully in a recording, but we always try to.
Is there a particular performance or tour that stands out as especially transformative for you as a band?
I think one of the best shows we ever played was in the Philippines for Asia Pop Con. There were thousands of people there… And it was the first time we ever thought: “wow. People are actually resonating with what we’re doing.” I think that show really inspired us to keep it up and continue pushing forward as a band.
Looking back at your earliest releases, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about your artistry?
It’s kind of come full circle in a strange way. When we released our first EP “Kicking Cars”, we had no idea what we wanted to do. There were just some songs we felt we DESPERATELY needed to record. They were all different genres, and didn’t even make sense on the same EP lol. But we did it anyway. For our next album “Visions of Hollywood”, we tried to make things a bit more uniform. That album sounded more cohesive when it comes to genre…. And it was awesome. But oddly, now I think we’re back to just making songs we love. They might not all fit together in theory… But all the lyrics are us. All of the instrumentals are us. So no matter what, it’s always gonna be Make Out Monday. We’re just not restricting ourselves anymore. And that feels amazing.
How do you stay grounded and connected to your fans while navigating the pressures of the music industry?
To be honest, that’s something we’re still navigating. It’s hard for us to tour nearly as much as we’d like. So we always feel bad that we’re unable to tour all of the places our fans are or want us to go. But we try to keep up as much interaction with them via social media and our channels as possible. We’re literally just a product of them listening to us. So we’re indebted to our fans, and we couldn’t do it without them. Just the other day a fan shared with us how listening to our music and meeting us changed their life in a very personal way (one that we won’t share). But it was just absolutely beautiful to hear. They were so kind for sharing, and it reminded us that we really are doing this for a reason. It’s not JUST an epic good time.
Are there any dream collaborations you haven’t tackled yet but hope to in the future?
Oh man, where to start. Pierce the Veil. Lana Del Rey. Juliana Chahayed. THE STORY SO FAR. My Chemical Romance? That last one seems like a stretch. But yeah, we have a long list of people we would love to collaborate with. The real question… is do they wanna collaborate with us? LOL. Our friends in this band called Saint Juniper and us have actually been talking about doing a collaboration soon. So that could actually happen. Check them out. They’re dope.
How do you envision your sound evolving over the next few years?
Well, currently I think we actually all have a slightly different viewpoint on that. Lol so it might be time for another creative pow wow. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if our “genre” changes again in the next couple years haha.
If you could convey one message or feeling through your music to the world, what would it be?
I don’t know if there’s one message, really. To us, every song is a story. And that’s why each of our songs appeals to different people in unique ways. So I think we all just want to keep creating songs that resonate with people and help them feel a connection with us through the song. Pain felt alone… Is REALLY HARD. Joy felt alone… is a little less joyful. But when you get to share those things through music, the hard times don’t end up feeling quite as hard. And the good times taste that much sweeter. Music has gotten us through so much. And we just hope that our songs can be that for a few people… And as we’ve been told. They already have. So that’s really meaningful to us… Also, we just hope we get to keep making music lol. That alone would be a huge success story. So to all of our fans… We love you. And stay tuned for more. Seriously, there’s a lot more we have in store.
