INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Web exclusive: The Mary Onettes and Red Light Driver

 

The Mary Onettes, Red Light Driver
Radio Radio, 1119 Prospect St.
Friday, May 16, 8 p.m., 21+

If you could put The Mary Onettes’ self-titled debut in a time capsule, it would be indistinguishable from the relics populating those buried in the ’80s.

That’s the point.

Mary Onettes chief songwriter Philip Ekstrom was just a lad when what he calls the great records of that era were made, specifically citing New Order and early Cure.

“I just felt like I had to do that record,” he says. By that record, he means the ones famous for their “big, epic darkness,” which makes for “big emotions.” The Mary Onettes accomplished just that on their debut, a group of songs steeped in the echoey, analog gloom of the sounds that inspired them. And unlike some musicians, Ekstrom has no apologies for displaying his influences so prominently.

“Not many bands have consequence in the making of an album,” he says. “They say they’re inspired by the ’80s, but it sounds modern. I was determined to make an album that sounded ‘unmodern.’ It sounds like it was made in the ’80s. That was important to me when I was doing the album.”

It was a united effort. The Mary Onettes originally started as two bands in their hometown of Jonkoping, Sweden. What brought the members together was their love for that ’80s music. It’s what would keep them together through two failed record deals, including one with giant Sony/BMG.

“We didn’t care much about those kinds of things,” Ekstrom says. “We just wanted to make music. For me, it doesn’t matter what happens with the record company. We only worry about songs. We just kept on doing what we do best.”

What Ekstrom says they learned through the early travails is “always trust ourselves, always do what we feel is right and never trust a record label,” though he quickly adds the band’s relationship with Swedish indie label Labrador, which signed them in 2006, has been good.

“It was the best thing that could happen to us,” Ekstrom says. “Communication with a big label like Sony/BMG was really hard. They couldn’t make any quick decisions. Now we have more control over the things we do.”

The Mary Onettes have had two of their songs played on “Grey’s Anatomy,” even without a big marketing push. Ekstrom hopes that creates an existing audience for them on their first-ever U.S. tour.

“I think everybody’s excited about it,” he says of the 13-city jaunt. “I’m a little afraid of flying over the Atlantic, but hopefully I will get over.”