Interview: Boston Indie/Alt Rock Trio Them Fantasies Talk About Their Newly Released Debut Album "Caffeine Queen"

We had the opportunity to connect with Boston based indie/alt rock trio Them Fantasies for an exclusive interview to discuss their recently released debut album “Caffeine Queen”. Comprised of Dominic Cannarella, Eric McCoy, and Max Meizlish, Them Fantasies came together blending several different music genres to make their own unique indie/alternative vibe, and we love what we’re hearing on the album.

We had the opportunity to ask the guys about several topics, including the origin of the band’s name, their creative process when it comes to new song development, their favorite song to perform live, and much more.

After reading our Q&A with Them Fantasies, be sure to connect with them on their website and social media, and stream and share the “Caffeine Queen” album on Spotify.

I'm sure you've been asked this a million times already, but we've got to know where the name "Them Fantasies" came from and what it means.

Totally! About 2 years ago we wrote this janky little pop tune on Boston's public transportation, that's actually on the record, called "Them Fantasies". It was about people getting addicted to party culture/drugs just because they're trying to be cool or fit in - without thinking about the consequences. It was also written during a time where we first got out of our houses and were experimenting with that sort of thing. We really loved the title of the song and what "Them Fantasies" entailed, so we had to choose it for our band name!

Describe your creative process when it comes to the development of new songs in regards to songwriting, melodies, instrumentation, etc.

Though it does change a bit, I'll usually come in with some spunky chords or a phat riff, and Eric will compliment and build off it with really bringing the guitar part to life with even cooler chords or a nice line. Eric will bring in ideas too, or we'll manipulate whatever ideas are on the table. Chords come first for sure, then I'll try to create a memorable, yet intricate melody that I hope is the right bridge between complex/fun for musicians AND memorable for the common listener. That melodic stuff is real important, and I feel like once you master that bridge, you can do anything you set your mind too - but that's a lifelong journey! After chords and melody are settled we'll come up with sections, add a drum part, and make sure the dynamics (pedals, effects, addl' music elements) are in check. We all wanna write the best music possible, so we gotta feed off each other's energy and vision to do so! We're always looking for new ways to write.

Congrats on the release of your debut album "Caffeine Queen"; from start to finish, how long did it take for you guys to write and record the album?

Thanks so much! These songs are a variety of both 2 years and about 5 months old, it took about 6 months to record, mix, and master everything.

As you can see we were on a bit of a time crunch, but we couldn't be happier with Nick Smith's House/EDM approach to our indie/alt rock tunes. Both his chops and our voices really shine through.

Do you guys have a favorite song from your catalog to perform live?

Oof, thats a tough one. It all changes. My [Dominic Cannarella, Lead Vox/Bass] favorite to play live is probably “Bastard Too”, just cause it's such a melodic heavyweight and you can dance and twirl and look like a swagged-out idiot while performing it. I know Eric's [Eric McCoy, Guitar] and Max's [Max Meizlish, Drums] favorite is "Hook-Up Culture", simply cause of the dance-y "STRFKR-y" type movement, and a weird lil' 15/8 outro to f*ck with everybody! Haha.

We've actually featured a lot of artists who attended the Berklee College of Music; how did you guys meet there and what led to the decision to form a band?

So Eric McCoy and I met in the Berklee dorms out freshman year and began writing with his old roommate. We have a super different style/approach to music - Eric came from jazz/fusion and blues while I came from grunge/alternative and pop. Even though we now play all of those styles due to us trying to be the best musicians we can, our backgrounds clashing together made way for some pretty interesting sounds and tunes. We definitely wanted to keep rolling with it.

Even though we've gone through about 3 drummers, our boy Max Meizlish now compliments our sound real well with his indie-pop/rock kind of approach.

Name one thing you guys really enjoy about performing live.

The best thing that ever happens is of course when the venue fills up, but when the people are genuinely touched by our own heartfelt, personally crafted music. Seeing people sing along and resonate to something you created is just... surreal. That’s why we do what we do. There are so many more ears to reach and we look forward to putting ourselves out there, vulnerable, in front of new listeners. Take it or leave it!

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