Of Mice & Men’s Aaron Pauley on Pop: I’m a Sucker for Melody

Of Mice and Men’s Aaron Pauley was the latest guest on Full Metal Jackie’s weekend radio program. Discussing the band’s latest release, the Timeless EP, the vocalist and bassist expressed the therapeutic nature of recording and releasing music, especially amid a pandemic which has been terribly difficult for everyone.

Work on the new music actually began before the onset of the pandemic, which has shuttered the live events industry worldwide for roughly one year now. And while the band’s planned series of EPs won’t speak to a specific, overarching concept, Pauley did feel that they would be connected in some way as they chronicle the emotions of the past year.

Read the full interview below.

Let’s talk about the song “Obsolete.” It’s driven by contemplation about the future. How is writing and recording that song and the whole EP a reassurance about your course of life?

Music is always something that we turn to. I know it’s a cliche for artists to say, but if it’s something we turn to, that’s very therapeutic for us.

It’s something that allows us to problem-solve through the creative process. Some of the stuff that we do going through or experience or think about in our lives… that song was something that we started shortly after Shiprocked [festival cruise] in 2020, actually, so it was something we started before all the lockdowns.

It was very apropos considering everything that had happened, but music is something that we always turn to figure things out.

This is part of a series of EPs to be released this year. What musical and lyrical cohesion connects the separate releases as a unified piece of work?

They all detail the process of loss, of going through loss and what that means when you lose somebody who is really close to you. It’s something an innumerable amount of people have dealt with this past year. It’s something that has hit me personally and other people in our band’s families personally.

It will all kind of chronicle this as somewhat of a story without necessarily being too much of a narrative.

Aaron, pop music seems to have fascinated you as a child. How has that early infatuation materialized in the music you make as an adult?

I’m a sucker for melody. I love harmonies. I love the complexities that you can create by adding certain notes to chords. The whole math and science behind that kind of fascinates me.

After joining the band as a bassist, you ultimately became the sole vocalist. What did you learn about yourself throughout that transition?

I learned that if you allow yourself a little bit of room to feel uncomfortable in creative processes that you will grow.

Music and musicians impact the world in so many ways. Given the current turmoil of the world, how important is it now to make a meaningful impact?

Now more than ever is a perfect time to create music. Everybody that enjoys it offers an escape from the day-to-day or from whatever you’re dealing with. It’s a good time for creatives to just create art. That’s what is going to take us away from it for the time being.

Thanks to Aaron Pauley for the interview. Get your copy of the ‘Timeless’ EP here and follow Of Mice & Men on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify. Find out where you can hear Full Metal Jackie’s weekend radio show here.