Mazmere

Jake Sinetos, lead singer and songwriter for Mazmere, discusses the raw evolution of their sound, the emotional intensity behind new single “Run,” and the creative process shaping their forthcoming album.

1. “Run” feels like both a sonic and emotional shift for Mazmere. What sparked this change in direction — was it something deliberate, or did it emerge naturally during the writing process? 

“Run” is how Mazmere was always supposed to sound. You can hear traces of it on the debut album, MBJDEBNRBM, especially in the song “Mannequins,” but that record was made with a band that didn’t quite share my vision. They were all incredible musicians, but that’s never been the point of my music. It’s meant to be messy, jagged, and burnt. MBJDEBNRBM ended up sounding much more polished than I intended. Run, and the album it will appear on, are going to be far more raw, noisy, and emotional. So yes, to answer your question, it was deliberate, and it came from me leaving that band and embracing a more solo approach to find the sound I actually want.

2. The track blends electronic pulse with raw human emotion — that push and pull between synthetic and organic sounds. How did you approach finding that balance in production? 

It’s mostly organic sounds, just torn up versions of organic sounds. That’s always been how I’ve done things. It started as a mostly solo concept, so I was working within my own limitations until I decided to bring in Amyas Varcoe, H.A. Eugene, and Ian Evans to help with the sound. They’re all people I’ve played with before, Amyas and H.A. from my old San Francisco band Anderson Congress, and Ian from an earlier version of Mazmere, and currently in the live band version. I knew I could trust them. I was struggling with the production for a while; the sound I wanted was there, but it felt too muddy. H.A. Eugene ended up producing it, and it sounds incredible. He’s also producing the rest of the album.

3. There’s a real sense of tension and movement in “Run” — almost like it’s trying to escape itself. What does “running” mean to you in the context of this song? 

That’s a hard one to answer. My songs are always open to interpretation by the listener, and I write them that way on purpose. I want people to think or feel whatever they want while they’re listening. I also don’t really have the same kind of thought process as most people. When I feel something, I see it in images and hear it in sounds, so I try to recreate those images and sounds in the music I make or write. I guess the song is about struggling with how that impacts decision-making, and learning how to choose the longer, harder option instead of immediate gratification. And maybe it’s also a little about running away from the world as it is right now.

4. You’ve described “Run” as part of a broader evolution in your sound, and it will also appear on your forthcoming album. How does this single connect to the larger story you’re telling with the new record? 

This record isn’t going to be radio friendly. It’s dark and difficult to listen to, and most of the songs are noise pieces. “Run” and the next single, “David,” are among the few that might be a little easier on the ears, although “David” is a deeply sad and unsettling song about my cousin who died a couple of years ago. It was very hard to write about. As I mentioned before, I usually write in a cryptic way, so creating something that open and emotional has been a real experience.

I guess the evolution is that Mazmere is finally what I always wanted it to be. It’s not about being cool or selling records. It’s about putting the art I make out into the world and letting the world decide what to do with it.

5. The collaboration with Amyas Varcoe and the Business 80 remix both bring different energies to the release. How did those partnerships shape or reframe the track for you? 

Like I said, I’ve been playing with both of them for years, so it wasn’t a new collaboration at all. I knew I could trust them, and I knew they had the skills needed to get the track done properly.

H.A. Eugene is one half of Business 80, and as I mentioned, he’s producing the new album. He also played bass in Anderson Congress.

Amyas has always had great instinct for what to play. He adds his own touch without ever showing off, which makes him the perfect collaborator.

Working with both of them definitely helped shape the sound.

6. Mazmere’s work often resists tidy resolution — it lingers in that space between chaos and clarity. What draws you to that unresolved feeling, and what do you hope listeners take from it?’

I don’t really understand the idea of a tidy resolution. How can anything ever be resolved when everything is still moving, still twitching under the surface? Making art is the only way I’ve found to get close to it, to scrape at the edges of my own chaos and maybe make sense of it for a second before it slips away again. The thoughts and feelings circle back, sometimes vicious, sometimes just noise. So I try to find a kind of comfort in that chaos, in the not knowing. Maybe someone else can find comfort there too, in the mess and the unfinished parts. Or maybe they won’t see it that way at all, which might actually be even better.

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