GTKM: Pastel may be new, but they are surely here to stay
From left to right: Vinny Werneck(drums), Lucas LoMonaco(vocals/guitar), Alec Bennington(bassist/vocals), Mikey Gomez(guitar).
Up and coming alternative band, Pastel is fresh to the Miami music scene. But don't get too fooled; Pastel may have just begun but they have a whole lot in store.
Pastel injects emotionally heartfelt lyrics into their music. They have a classic, late 00's pop punk sound; Lucas LoMonaco leads the band with hearty vocals with drummer Vinny Werneck, bassist Alec Bennington and guitarist Mikey Gomez to support.
For those who don’t know Pastel, the band went through a series of name changes in their earlu months. Shifting from Mamey(pronounced Mah-May), to Looking Like People, before finally settling on Pastel. “[Luca’s ex-girlfriend’s sister’s boyfriend] said ‘You know Mamey sounds cool but it doesn’t have much potential outside of Miami, so we were like let’s just do something else.”
For a moment, the group were at odds with their current name. Bennington took the initiative of asking his coworkers what the new band name should be. After watching They Look Like Peopl on Netflix, Bennington felt compelled to name the band after the Netflix (movie?). “It has a super deep meaning to me, you walk around every day and you see people who are strangers to you. And you think of them as extras but they low key have lives just like you, just as detailed and intricate as yours.”
Unfortunately, Looking Like People did not last long. The band grew doubts once more and began the whole process once again. LoMonaco then suggested the name Pastel. “Listen, I thought Pastel sounded cool so that’s why I said it” says LoMonaco “we ended on Pastel, third time’s the charm that’s it. We like it, a lot of people love it. We’re sticking with it, probably forever.”
”In terms of the scene and how they treated us, they were extremely receptive regardless of how weak out first performance was.”
Pastel may be only three months old, but the band have a solid music history. Bennington’s bassist inspiration sprouted punk and modern rock bands such as Fall Out Boy and Paramore. The rest of the band’s main inspirations originated from bands from Led Zeppelin to My Chemical Romance to Panic! At the Disco.
Bennington and LoMonaco both have had experience writing music prior to Pastel. Gomez and Bennington were in a previous band called The Ninth Yard before splitting up due to indifferences between Bennington and the drummer. “They [Bennington and LoMonaco] began forming a band and that’s how I came.” says Gomez.
Just like The Ninth Yard, Pastel had issues with their first drummer. Pastel only had one other performance, but it was enough for them to reconsider finding an alternate drummer. “The reason we fired him was because he got high a lot, like before the shows, which fucked up the show for us,” says LoMonaco “it was an okay performance for the first two and a half songs, then it just went down hill.”
Despite the minor setback, the band has been taking their career much more seriously. Although they’re still new to the Miami music scene, the band has made a set first impression. ”In terms of the scene and how they treated us, they were extremely receptive regardless of how weak out first performance was.” says Bennington.
The Rehab EP is set to release Oct. 6.
The song writing process for Pastel is different each time. "Either I’ll have a riff or some chord progression or Mikey will have the same thing. We’ll send it to the group chat then build off of it. Usually for us we’ll have lyrics either written or we start playing and write lyrics as they come out of our mouth like a freestyle.” says LoMonaco.
"On and Off" is Pastel's first official single. LoMonaco goes into detail on what led them to write their first song. “I guess it relates to, not even just men, but every person who has hidden the exact way they feel behind just having sexual relations with other people, rather than the person they were thinking about just to forget about that person. So you’re having sex with other people just to forget about the person that you’re really thinking about.”
Pastel have yet to release more music. Luckily, the band is set to release a song called Moon Seats and The Rehab EP, which debuts Oct. 6. “I wouldn’t say it’s like a generic pop punk album by any stretch. It’s a very alternative, alternative rock, alternative emo and alternative pop punk.” says Bennington.
Caution: The EP does contain subject matter that will tug at your heart strings. LoMonaco went onto describe their album as one that does ‘not necessarily I’m writing about being happy or being sad.’ Each song on their upcoming EP deals with certain person or certain thing. “A lot of it has to do with people breaking our hearts, feeling like we’re not enough for people and how people should appreciate what’s going on in their lives.“
You can check out Pastel's music on Spotify, iTunes, and Soundcloud. To learn more about the band, follow them on Instagram.