SONG PREMIERE: Scranton indie pop rock duo Atari+Mari can ‘Check Out Any Time You Like’
When Atari+Mari perform live, the triangular masks covering the top halves of their faces are the first thing an audience will notice. Then it’s their simple setup, which is just a guitar and Roland SP-404 sampler.
Their sound, however, is what truly grabs attention and makes the Scranton duo stand out from any other music being produced throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“‘The sound of a carnival on fire,’ or ‘pop funk with a hint of rock,’ seem to do the trick,” Atari Antlion began when asked for a description.
“I sometimes call it ‘darkpop’… dramatically!” Mari B excitedly included.
Catchy, yet full of melodic surprises and cryptic lyrical twists and turns over layers of obscure snippets, the indie pop rock songs of electronic musician Andrew Spence (Atari) and vocalist/guitarist Gabriel Suarez (Mari) are surprisingly complex, mysterious, and quirky, much like their on-stage personas.
“We both grew up listening to a variety of acts – bands like Daft Punk, Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, Prince, Jamiroquai, and Queens of the Stone Age,” Atari listed.
“Throw in a deep love of hip-hop, like Wu-Tang Clan, MF DOOM, and De La Soul. Keeping all those influences in mind, we basically meet in the middle and try to tell a story in the process,” Mari added.
Their 2023 debut album, “Standing on the Verge of Getting Worse,” told all kinds of stories, reflecting on societal and political issues while remaining deeply personal and oddly fun.
“The first album was very much about taking a step back from your worst self and realigning with the types of things that keep a person moving day to day. It’s about interrogating things that don’t necessarily work in society, but not knowing how to articulate them,” Mari noted. “It’s about…”
“It’s about the really good songs!” Atari interjected.
“Check Out Any Time You Like,” the new single from their next album “The House Always Wins,” is another one of those really good songs, a track that can be taken at face value about a relationship or maybe something more.
“It’s about getting so lost in the sauce that you quickly forget all about what was once important to you. Sounds heavy, but it’s actually a poppy number, for sure. It’s a great sampler for the rest of the album’s general sound,” Atari explained.
“It’s definitely of a piece with the rest of the album. We never make an album where the songs all sound exactly alike, but this single definitely fits with the sonic vibe of the rest of the album,” Mari continued.
“As a single, it shines. As a centerpiece to the album, it definitely gleams as well!”
It is premiering brightly today with a lyric video exclusively on NEPA Scene as the track rolls onto all major streaming platforms like dice across a craps table.
When asked for their origin story, Atari+Mari have an answer that sounds more like a comic book than a band biography, of course.
“The story starts as all great ones do – with two guys separately climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to install a heat ray at the summit. I climbed up the heights with nothing but a stick and a drone, carrying all the parts involved in making a heat ray, only to find that I had been beaten by another supervillain! He’d climbed the summit using a horse and buggy system, but instead of horses, he used giraffes cause they can see further ahead – fortunately he didn’t have to break very often! Instead of fighting to the mortal end for the real estate, we decided to unite and power our evil with the sounds of slick indie pop music,” Mari revealed.
“That’s basically it, in a nutshell,” Atari affirmed.
Their pointy masks, cleverly shaped like the letters “A” and “M,” seem to corroborate this account, as do their oftentimes coordinating outfits.
“It certainly causes people less confusion as to where to bring their pitchforks and torches,” Mari pointed out. “Also gives us the added bonus of looking like we’re running for office.”
“Any office would do – we aren’t picky,” Atari emphasized.
The result of their combined might has been a warm reception on every stage they’ve conquered, from theaters to bars to DIY venues to live television appearances.
“It seems our formula has taken to the masses well! People seem to enjoy hearing the songs we play off the first album in a live setting! I get compliments on [our single] ‘Rebelle’ all the time!” Mari noted.
“People have been incredibly kind and very receptive, which warms our cold, dead hearts,” Atari agreed.
Seeds of their next scheme were planted while they were recording “Standing on the Verge of Getting Worse” themselves, but “The House Always Wins” really started coming together last winter. This time, they chose to record at Encore Studios in Archbald.
“Self-recording is fun once you figure it out, but with this one with the change in location, we needed a space to properly record these songs as they deserve to be heard,” Mari said.
“Encore has everything you’d need to track, mix, and master a song! We could not recommend enough!” Atari enthused.
Mari feels that this record will be even more of a concept album than their debut.
“You ever gone to a casino and risked it all against your better judgement? It’s kind of about that, but it’s also got some spooky background details and kooky characters. Jams abound – this one will jump, for sure.”
The full album is set for release on Friday, Sept. 12, which Atari said will be launched with a yet-to-be-announced release party, along with more shows and music videos.
“We’re going to play both albums in full, and there may even be a raffle for a copy of the new album on vinyl!” he unveiled.
“We’re working with the amazing Nick Criscitello to make music videos for some songs on the album. We’ve got great concepts and great locations picked. We’re incredibly excited, and we don’t want to say too much, but you’re going to like what you see. We also want to play more shows and bring our music to the people. Then, at some point, we’ll finally figure out what to do with the giraffes.”
Could these displaced long-necked mammals spell the end of this peculiar pair? Tune in next time…
“We’re very excited for everyone to see what we’ve been working on. Also, if anybody knows what to do with a gaggle of giraffe calves…” Atari trailed off.
“A giraffe calf gaggle,” Mari clarified.
“Hit us up,” Atari implored. “Seriously.”
Learn more about Atari+Mari and all the songs on “Standing on the Verge of Getting Worse” in Episode 206 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
Photos by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene
