Interview: SLMBR's Frontman Discusses Influences for "Waking Nightmare"
SLMBR is a New York based alternative rock band.
By Ashley Gallagher
SLMBR is an alternative rock band from the New York City area. Nick Sossi Romano, the frontman of SLMBR talk about some of their influences, inspirations and how New York City has influenced their sound.
Who are some of your influences?
I try to draw influence from a lot of different styles and groups. I feel like it allows us to not lock into one place when writing new material. I have always loved Owl City and Reliant K's lyrics (Forget and Not Slow Down is a masterpiece album), I love that jazz feel of classic Bobby Caldwell, the energy of Nothing but Thieves and the ambiance and cohesion of The Japanese House. Those would be primary influences right now.
What inspires you to write?
I think writing to me, like a lot of people, is a form of therapy and relief. I can't just write a song whenever, and a lot of my music isn't thematically based on romance or something like that. A lot of my songs were created at major turning points of my life, or when I realized something critical about myself or someone else. I write a lot about mental health; partially because it's so important to talk about it all, but also my songs are my way of acting upon those moments of time. Both of those things make me more passionate about the writing process, and that's how a song comes to be.
What inspired "Waking Nightmare?"
I think Waking Nightmare happened because of one of those moments. I wrote the whole song in like 3 hours because I was just feeling so trapped by where I was at. I was just so afraid of becoming something different than I was essentially scared of myself. I think that's relatable in an odd way, just hurting because of your own resistance to moving on, and that's why I think the song is interesting to some people.
How has the Long Island music scene influenced your sound?
Long Island is a really unique place because I can't say we have a singular sound. It's funny because I would say the scene here actually taught me how NOT to sound most of the time. I've been playing in the community for 6 years, and I've tried a lot of things, and now I know what I like to play and what people enjoy listening to. Some genres, like an emo/punk scene, are super frequent, and while I don't necessarily play that style, I know how to lean into that performing style and grab the attention of those who are looking for that crazy song on the record or a sick show. Needless to say, I would love to play more venues on LI, and hopefully, the future allows that to happen.
What would be your dream lineup?
Dream lineup is tricky because I love so many bands right now. I think that Nothing But Thieves is an easy headliner with maybe HUNNY or Bad Suns, but The 1975 is killing it right now and anything with them would be incredible too. In terms of realistic dreams, I've wanted to play with a band called Harbour for a while, so maybe that's a cool dream. All of these guys are just fantastic musicians, so I'd be honored to do any of it.