“Best Ex: A new beginning

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Best Ex a new beginning

Interview conducted on Feb. 25, 2020

by Dan Locke

With Good At Feeling Bad, Loveland is diving even deeper into indiepop, a move that may surprise some old fans of her former band Candy Hearts. She’s now creating music that has more in common with Jenny Lewis and Carly Rae Jepson than Paramore. “We had this gritty, raw energy that I always tried to harness as our superpower,” she says. “Now, while it’s not exactly the same, lyrically though, we still exist in the same realm. There’s that heartbreak, that rawness, and that tongue-in-cheek demeanor because if I can’t laugh about the sheer amount of times my heart has been broken, I don’t know how I’d survive.” With this EP she turned to music and wrote what’s basically a “greatest hits of some of the worst stuff that’s ever happened to me.”

Dan Locke: What was your upbringing like?

Mariel Loveland :My upbringing was really normal. I come from a suburban town outside of NYC. My parents are cool. I have a younger brother and a twin sister. It was a really supportive, loving environment. I know — boring. But really lovely!

How did you discover music?

My dad has always been obsessed with music. He can shred guitar faster than almost anyone I know. My first memories of music we’re listening to the Pet Sounds every time we went down to the Jersey Shore, which happened pretty much every year when I was a baby & toddler. I also remember my mom absolutely loving the Beatles and they’d play me Magical Mystery Tour when we drove to my grandma’s house in Long Island. I was still like, in a car seat, probably.

What is your favorite musical (rock) movie and how it affected your life?

Please don’t hate me, but I hate musicals. I just can’t stand them. I suppose I can tolerate Camp Rock because it reminds me of my college courses in songwriting! As far as music-themed movies go, I always loved Almost Famous. I’m a journalist, too. And I find myself relating so much to every character or knowing people like every character.

What did you learn about the music business that became part of you?

Trust no one. Show no weakness. Every favor is a trade, whether you recognize it at the time or not, so figure out what trades are the trades you can live with and stick to your convictions or you’ll feel like your soul is being sucked from your body little by little.

What is the Bad Love era?

I’d say it’s the brief period where I finally released Bad Love but hadn’t yet announced my EP. Even though the EP is called ‘Good At Feeling Bad,’ it still feels like the Bad Love era because I don’t feel that sort of shy, glimmery anxiety and blind hope I felt when I wrote the songs on our other albums. It’s an era where I feel tougher, quicker on my toes, and maybe a bit jaded. That’s growing up, right?

Give me a brief rundown of the “Gap Tooth (On My Mind)” track and video. And why the green fur?

The green fur has a simple explanation. It was freezing and basically, a hail storm and the coat is warm and looks fly as hell. My mom got it for me last Christmas from Topshop.
As far as the video goes, I wanted it to be a continuation of the video for “See You Again.” That song was about the same person, at the beginning of our relationship when everything felt great. The video was the best day ever at Coney Island. I was so happy that day I actually cried because I couldn’t believe I was allowed to be that happy. This song is about the last time I ever spoke to him. I wanted to convey the sort of loneliness in a freezing, empty Coney Island in December. This song is about the worst I’ve ever felt, when a person you built your entire life around just wakes up and decides to never speak to you again.

Your new EP comes out on May 22nd. Tell me why you picked the songs you did for it?

I definitely had enough songs for a full length, and I’m sure you’ll see most of those at a later date, but I picked these because they were the ones I really related to the most at the time I wanted to release an EP. I also wanted a good mix of vibes so it didn’t sound too samey.

How would you describe Good At Feel Bad?

I think it’s like putting a glitter bandaid on a stab wound. Looks cute, right? Maybe it makes you feel better until you realize you’re actually bleeding out and need medical assistance. I’m sorry I’m so dramatic. I cannot help it. I’ve been watching so much The Bachelor.

Any plan to tour this upcoming year?

Absolutely! We’re working on some west coast and Midwest dates at the moment. Have some stuff already booked in NYC (playing The Rockbar on April 7th), and for the life of me, I NEED to go back to the UK. So if someone wants to help us do that, please hit me up.

What are some of your guilty pleasures?

The Bachelor. This week is the fantasy suites, and it’s like my super bowl. Every Monday I go watch it at a sports bar with my friend, who’s in the project Luxtides, and we make them turn of the sports and literally scream at the TV while drinking happy hour margaritas.
I have a thing for hate-watching stuff. I suppose that’s why I also watch Tucker Carlson, sometimes. I find it quite hard to get actually angry on my own, so maybe it’s some kind of release to scream at Fox News.
As far as other guilty pleasures, I do have a habit of indulging all my food vices. I generally eat vegetarian, but occasionally I will get McDonald’s or Taco Bell delivery which either means I’m extremely depressed or I’m ecstatic with life and celebrating. I think we need to be honest that no one is ever just “okay” if they’re ordering that on Seamless.

What is your go-to comfort food?

I have a few things that I eat to cure sadness, or coldness, or tiredness, or whatever you eat comfort food for. One: soup of any kind. My mom always fed me soup year-round. She makes the best soup.
Two, I’d say cheese and pickle sandwiches because they’re so highly linked to being taken care of and loved, to me. I’ve pretty much never had one that wasn’t made by someone out of love, and I can honestly say, love makes things taste DIFFERENT.
Three, anything flavored with marzipan. I’ve been called out for smiling like a little child every time I have it.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I can’t possibly answer this. I deliberately only think a year ahead. A habit from being tied to album cycles, I guess, but now I cannot think further than that or I’ll crumble into a ball of anxiety. My life is pretty good, I‘ve become what I wanted to be when I grew up, so … what do you even do after that?

Anything in closing you like to say?

Yes! I’d love for anyone reading this to follow me on Instagram (http://www.instagram.com/beatexnj) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/candyheartsband). Our EP is coming out on May 22, and I just want everyone to check it out!