INTERVIEW: MOVIESTARZ
There’s a very good reason why MOVIESTARZ, the California duo of Tyler Nichols (vocals/keys/production) and Alex Pombar (guitar/bass/production), are releasing “Club Punk” as their first ever single. A jittery, energetic, hyperactive song, the band are introducing themselves to the world with it. The lead track from their forthcoming debut album out on November 7th, FANTASY > REALITY, immediately establishes the modus operandi of the band— simply, to smash the constraints of genre, and create something entirely new. Because “Club Punk” isn’t just the name of the song, it’s an accurate description of their sound— a wonderfully effervescent mix of musical styles that’s full of enthusiasm and ebullience, and which accurately captures the MOVIESTARZ attitude, ethos and intention.
Your music, visuals, and merch all feel bold and imaginative— it really comes across that you’re building a whole universe with MOVIESTARZ. Where do you usually draw your inspiration from? Do you need a certain environment to get in the zone, or can ideas strike anywhere?
Thank you so much! We are super intentional about that. In the beginning stages of creating this we kept referencing Gorillaz and how people tend to connect to them visually and less who the actual band members are, let the music and the art speak for itself. We are super inspired just by other artist’s, I think both of our favorite things to do is discover a new artist/song/designer and just enjoy when anyone is pushing the norm.
You’ve released four singles so far— “Club Punk,” “Invited,” “Chaos In The Magic,” and “Tear This Apart.” Why did you choose those as the first songs to introduce the world to MOVIESTARZ?
Each of them felt like they really hit on the variety of sounds we were looking to present and were the best examples to show to the world first. “Club Punk” and “Invited” I think complement each other super well; a fun 1, 2 punch. “Chaos” and “Tear This Apart” we blended together for the album and so when it came time to pick the 3rd single we were like lets just do both and let people see the hyper pop, electronic, dance side we lean towards as well.
“Club Punk” feels like such a perfect summer anthem. Was that the kind of vibe you were aiming for when you wrote it?
I’m so proud of that song, I still have moments I think its my favorite on the album, the music is just so good. It feels like a chase scene in an action movie. I brought “The City Is At War” by Cobra Starship to everyone and was like I LOVE how this intro’s their album we wanted the same in your face vibe.
“Invited” has that playful, tongue-in-cheek angle on not needing a party invite. What inspired that concept?
“Invited” is so fun, its kind of self deprecating but also its so happy and fun I love that parallel. We’ve been in this industry for so long and at this point I feel just so fed up with the need to chase clout, its so fake and I know everyone is uncomfortable in those situations. I want the invite cause you want me there, I don’t wanna (wanna) beg for it.
I was fortunate enough to listen early to FANTASY > REALITY, and it really showcases the range of your sound. How would you describe the journey of the album— is there a particular story or theme you wanted it to capture?
We recorded probably 30-40 instrumentals just on vibes. We’d get together 3-4x a month for almost 2 years, and just make the best music we could, if lyrics or melodies would come naturally and some did come so quick (“Heatstroke,” “Chaos,” “Tear This Apart”) We really sat on the music for a long time and over time see which ones still stood out and also we pulled inspiration from so many different styles we love and wanted to make sure each side of that would shine through. It was super important to just love the instrumentals before adding any lyrics/vocals.
Were there any tracks on the album that felt especially personal or pushed you creatively in a new direction?
The whole album for me feels super personal, the concept of it is just my personal experience with art and life to be honest. “On Mute” might check those boxes the most of personal and pushed creatively. I went on a The 1975 deep dive and “What Should I Say” when I heard that song I was like this is MOVIESTARZ energy. I love how different that song is and I think is so fresh in the context of the album.
On the surface, FANTASY > REALITY sounds like ‘fantasy is better than reality,’ but is there a deeper meaning behind it for you?
You got it pretty much. It has 2 meanings, in a positive way it’s saying the time when you’re just creating to create, dreaming of what could be, putting your everything into something you have the ‘fantasy’ that it will pan out to be exactly whats in your mind with art, relationships whatever. To live in that world is so fun, pure, youthful. The more cynical way of it is basically “welp the reality of it is the odds of that happening the way you think it will are slim to none, good luck.”
I love that you’re pairing each single with its own exclusive merch item. How has it been to design something new for every track, and how do you make sure the merch connects to the music itself?
We have had a clothing brand for a few years called Newport Bleach that it just made sense to incorporate the MOVIESTARZ world with that. I want someone to wear our merch and maybe have zero idea we even make music and vice versa. To making this a “world of MOVIESTARZ” I just want it all to be done at the highest level/quality possible in every aspect. I love giving every song something special, we are treating this like we have a major label budget and want it to be presented as such. Merch is so important and when artists get lazy there its so unfortunate, I can say for certain I will never let a MOVIESTARZ merch piece be something that isn’t the best it can possibly be.
You first met at a +44 concert in 2006. What was that “meet cute” like, and what did you bond over that’s kept your friendship and creative partnership strong all these years?
Once we realized we lived like 3 streets away from each other we just naturally became friends. We both have such a strong love for fashion, design, art, and music, we have such a common thread through those things which I think made making this record so easy.
You started out collaborating on Newport Bleach, your clothing brand. Was music always the long-term dream, or did it grow naturally out of that earlier creative work?
Music is our #1 for sure, the brand is rooted in wanting to make our own “vintage band tees” but…better. We’ve been in prior bands with our friends since we were teenagers but it kind of took a backseat for no specific reason other than just living life and being creative in other ways (i.e. Newport Bleach) but I think waiting for the hunger and the vision for it to be there and really saying “okay, lets go for it again.”
‘FANTASY > REALITY’ RELEASES ON NOVEMBER 7TH
[PRE-SAVE HERE]
WHERE TO FIND MOVIESTARZ
TikTok | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music