“They also have seasonal shake thingies, and they’re just… I mean it’s melted ice cream. It’s ‘mint milk’. I think they also have a creamsicle one. They make you feel so sick. Just 900 calories of milk based drink.” 

Peter Lukach of mall goth is discussing the delicacies available at Stewart’s – a gas station dispersed throughout Upstate New York. It was the first I had ever heard of this institution, despite the fact that I also grew up in “New York but not New York”.

What constitutes “Upstate” is a tired debate. Some deem it anything between the final stop on the Wakefield-241st St. bound 2 train and the Canadian border. Others believe in more complex distinctions for non-metropolitan New York, arguing that it consists of Western and Central New York, Upstate, and my home territory of ‘Downstate’. Some give the debate – and the idea of New York beyond the five boroughs – little to no thought at all. 

If you have read any features I have done in the past, you might notice a pattern of questions about a band’s respective home. It usually stems from a place of my own curiosity; sometimes I find myself more intrigued by the idea of a scene than the actual music the scene in itself nurtures. The ways an environment can be reflected in the contours of a band’s melodies, or how influences of other artists in the vicinity can pull an unexpected sound out of a project. I also ask from an idyllic place – hoping to hear the ways in which a band’s surroundings have marinated into their art, optimistically seeking some confirmation that the internet has yet to push this notion into extinction. 

My conversation with mall goth was seasoned with Upstate trivia. I learned the apple cider donut was invented in Albany. They sometimes serve a raspberry sauce with their mozzarella sticks. Binghamton has an exciting music scene, though it often feels fleeting given the rapid member turnover that is inherent to a college town. Albany is more robust in that regard, home to projects that have cultivated beyond a four year term and a community with a good heart. 

From my intel on local scenes, I have also become familiar with certain rites of passages that triumph variables like whether you took a subway or yellow bus to middle school. Falling in love with an album and building relationships from the seed of shared music interest is one of the most prominent. In the case of mall goth, this was initially Plumtree, though as their inner band relationships have grown and expanded, so have their auditory pallets. They told me about their intrinsic love for “loud-quiet” dynamics in guitar-forward bands, citing Weezer and the Pixies as mutual staples. They also enthused about short term phases, which helped to paint a picture of their curious natures as individuals, as well as the influence of their enthusiasms have on each other.

Their latest EP is the band’s fullest release yet – both sonically and in a more abstract sense. It ventures down an experimental and emotional path, clearing space for individual inspirations and perspectives while ultimately remaining grounded to the project’s sturdy spine. Out last week, Heather’s Exit is a vulnerable reflection on how even the simplest lived experiences shape us, as mall goth molds imagery of old Tupperware, rainbow sprinkles and white mildew into a cathartic listen, bleeding with honesty and nuance. 

We recently sat down with mall goth to discuss the project’s roots, inspirations and Heather’s Exit. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Manon: I’m so excited to talk about this EP, it is so fun and such a confident and full version of this sound that you have been cultivating, but first I would love to hear about the background of mall goth. How did you all start playing music together?

Ella: Peter and I met in a music theory class in college. He posted a song by Plumtree on his Instagram Story. 

Peter: I swiped up and was like “I love Plumtree!” And [Ella] was looking to make a new band. I was in a band but it wasn’t very serious and I was not super involved in the creative process, so I was looking for something different. 

Ella: Yeah I stole him. I was also living next to a friend named Sam so the three of us started playing and then I met Kensho and stole him from a friend’s band too, as our drummer. The four of us started playing, and as the years have unfolded, we’ve just gone through a few lineup changes. Katie has been drumming with us for about a week and a half – she’s really fucking good. Justin has been playing with us since the fall. 

Manon: How long have you been in Albany?

Ella: I have lived in Albany my whole life, but we officially relocated in June. 

Manon: So is Heather’s Exit your first release since you moved? 

Ella: Yeah. It’s funny because we mentioned our lineup has changed so much, so the EP process took a lot longer than we anticipated. But we’re excited for this chapter and to just put this music out there, we have been sitting on these songs for about a year. So we are excited, and having Katie join us has brought a different vibe to the songs – it made them feel fresh again in some ways. 

Manon: Heather’s Exit has such a great coming of age feel – there is so much change, growth and nostalgia all wrapped up in a jangly, dream-pop sound. I know you mentioned you have been sitting on these songs for a while, 

Ella: In terms of writing lyrics, it’s probably the most honest and raw I have ever been. It felt good to just talk about things that make you the way you are. I was really inspired by Wednesday’s Rat Saw God when I was writing. I just love how Karly Hartzman is so honest, and every song unfolds a story. That was the biggest inspiration for “Crawl Space”, also “Ribs” by Lorde. When we were working on Heather’s Exit, I really wanted to make sure the synths were building large soundscapes. 

Manon: All of that certainly comes through on the EP. Your imagery is so intense and I also like the way it tends to parallel the soundscapes – I like the rainbow sprinkles and flowers against the melodically upbeat nature of “Your Garden”, versus the mentions of spoiled food on the darker and more experimental “Heather’s Exit”. I did want to ask about that one specifically, and why you chose to end the EP on that track? 

Ella: That’s a great question. I feel like the EP descends from happy into, almost scary. 

Peter: I think the lyrics helped propel it to that point too. 

Ella: Yeah, we felt like although “Your Garden” has some gloomy undertones, it mostly feels like a sugarcoated, candy song. “Crawspace” is then a good bridge into “Marionette”, which is just loud, quiet, loud, quiet. I wanted that one to have imagery of a puppet getting ready in a dressing room – just this idea of being guided by what others think of you. As for “Heather’s Exit”, that one is kind of hard to put into words. There is a lot of nuance, and I ultimately want the music to speak for itself, and for people to have their own experience when they listen. 

Manon: The EP has such gorgeous cover art too, who did it? 

Ella: My friend, Eliza Waylon. I know her from high school, she is a fantastic painter and I thought that piece really fit our aesthetic perfectly. I’m so grateful she let us use it. 

Manon: I know you mentioned some lineup switches. Would you consider your songwriting dynamic collaborative, and if so how have those changes affected it? 

Ella: When we started the band I had some songs under my belt, so initially I was like “hey, do you guys want to play these songs I wrote?” Since then we have definitely built upon it, and in terms of what things ultimately sound like, everyone adds their parts. I am really excited to see what happens going forward, and we definitely want it to become more collaborative. We were really chasing a dreamy sound, and have since been returning to our roots which has been very inspiring. 

Written by Manon Bushong | Photo by nomorezines