Fearlessly Mantra Sounds Shares a Nostalgic Trip Through ‘Faithless’ [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Through the rifts and angst, we fully embrace ourselves through a nostalgic journey with Mantra Sounds, as she shares her most personal EP yet, Faithless. The rising artist returns with a twist from her original style and brings a refreshing take to the scene. Fully taking her storytelling to another level, Mantra Sounds takes the audience on a trip that anyone can resonate with. Through her engaging and catchy lyricism, she encompasses the emotions of processing grief into an elegant mixtape you will be listening to on repeat this summer. Mantra Sounds’ growth as an artist is on full display with her latest EP.

Afterwards, stick around for our exclusive interview with Mantra Sounds about the journey, her inspiration, and what her perfect mixtape would be!

Time to go on that emotional ride with Mantra Sounds and Faithless

Immediately, we seep ourselves into this moody atmosphere, feeling the tension in the air build around us. As we feel the weight get heavy within our heart, we watch the story begin to unfold in front of us. “About Time I Wrote You A Song” brings us into the middle of the strains of a relationship. Mantra Sounds captures the anxious moments through the tasteful sound design decisions. From the buzzing of the light fixture, the dripping water from the sink, you are immersed in this story. “I could tell you where we went wrong; But we can’t think straight with the overhead light on; Bout time I wrote you a song” sonically swarms you while you watch the falling of a relationship unravel

Flashing forward a bit, after some time has passed and things begin to settle, “Split Lip” brings us to a new stage of our affliction. Through pop-punk guitar riffs, Mantra Sounds brings this nostalgic environment with the upbeat and energetic tones of the track. Although splitting seems to be the only option, we can’t help but reminisce and think about the people we once shared so much with. “Some days I can’t pretend, some days I miss my friends, but it ain’t gonna work like this..” rushes around our heads as we sit and reflect. Mantra Sounds displays that there is always guilt that comes with giving up on something or someone and no matter what, love always lingers.

Leading us into the title track of the EP, “Faithless,” we fall into a new sense of acceptance of what comes after departing. The track brings many layers in its production that unveil the ups and downs of grieving a relationship. The constant push and pull to meet in the middle but still not being able to get it right; while the love remains, some feelings are just no longer the same. Mantra Sounds shows us through her lyricism that we can act as a blockage in our own lives and it’s important to know when you are the catalyst of your own demise.

There is a lesson to be learned through heartbreak

To conclude the EP, Mantra Sounds collaborates with long-time friend Indobeats to bring a sense of closure within our healing. “Énouement” captures this somber, matter-of-fact atmosphere that delivers a sense of clarity. Every line in this track brings a sinister, hypnotic tone that reminds you how important it is to trust your intuition, especially when it comes to people’s intentions and how they infiltrate your life. The duo crafts an ending for the audience to not only cease us from being naive, but also to garner the strength to let a higher power take care of people who decide to “play God”.

Naturally, Mantra Sounds encapsulates the essence of what it means to process pain. Through all the raw emotions that accompany the many stages of grief, the audience is invited into a journey of storytelling—one that allows them to step into the narrative, relive their own memories, and reflect on personal experiences. As they’re transported into those intimate moments and gently brought back to the present, there’s a powerful realization: despite the weight of the past, growth is apparent. The Faithless EP serves as a reminder that we can be both broken and bold, it speaks to the strength in vulnerability, and the beauty in acceptance and healing

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In Conversation With Mantra Sounds

seradopa: Faithless tackles various themes and topics. What led you to make this project, and what inspired you to start writing this EP?

Mantra Sounds: This is definitely my most personal work yet.

I don’t want to make it specifically about a person, or anything like that, but it really is about a long term relationship that ended in a way we both didn’t deserve.

All 4 songs were made literally, right after, and they were the quickest tracks I’ve ever made in my life.

Once all this happened, “I was like, oh my god, I gotta make music,” because I was writing lyrics like crazy. And all of these beats are not my normal style beats. Maybe the first one a little bit, just because it kind of has that simplified approach with a dancey break toward the end. But the next two, “Split Lip” and “Faithless,” they’re very much pop-punk, which is way out of my normal wheelhouse of what I normally release. But I do love to make that type of stuff! Then the last one is a heavy-bass track produced by Indobeats that I ended up writing to in a matter of minutes. I actually asked if I could jack this song from him for the EP because it fit so perfectly, thank you Kyle!

But yeah – it all derives from a series of very unfortunate events.

seradopa: Since you’re saying this is your most vulnerable body of work, what would you say was the hardest aspect of writing this and putting it together?

Mantra Sounds: Knowing that the people who were or are closest to me are going to know what this is about. Nobody wants these types of songs written about them, you know what I’m saying?

But it’s funny, the first one is named, “About Time I Wrote You a Song,” the person that influenced this body of work used to joke and say, “When are you going to write me a song? When are you going to write me a song?” And now I’m like, here’s four! Five. Six. Seven..

[Laughs]

It’s definitely nerve-wracking, I don’t want anybody to take it the wrong way. At the end of the day, it’s all creative expression, and it helped me cope a lot with everything. 

seradopa: I believe that is the hardest part about being an artist. There is beauty that comes from these aspects of art. I was listening to the EP before we talked, and I could specifically think of this one person off the top of my head, this EP reminds me of, and you drove that emotion so beautifully.

Mantra Sounds:  I love to hear that! The fact that you just said you’re thinking of a specific person in a specific setting. Jared, Khalila [Mantra Sounds’ managers] and I have been touching on that a bit. It’s been important to me recently that my music evokes real emotion in people.

It’s been hard for me to do that with electronic music lately. That’s why I feel like this stuff is so different, the writing of it is really what holds it together.

seradopa: The lyrics in this EP are extremely catchy and give this atmosphere of like, “fuck this person, fuck this town.” I was curious, what do you think is the perfect setting you believe people should be listening to this EP?

Mantra Sounds: Honestly, outside during sunset, when you’re just thinking and pondering to yourself, or just taking a walk. Definitely somewhere where you’re doing some deep thinking, but the setting in front of you is beautiful, and it’s making you not feel so bad about it. Because everything is so much bigger than we are as people.

I’m picturing myself when I was writing this, and I feel like it’s almost like nostalgia. Somewhere where you’re feeling nostalgia and beauty, like admiring the ways life kicks you down. This EP, as painful as it was, made me grateful that I’m even alive to feel these emotions.

seradopa: With you being more vulnerable with your songwriting, how does it feel to you as Giana, and also, you as Mantra sounds?

Mantra Sounds: Individually, it feels so good.

I have a few people ask me, “Do you write your vocals?”

I write every single word. Unless I’m in the studio recording and I have to change things on the spot, then I’ll get my vocal engineer’s opinion, but I write everything I have. I don’t take anything from anybody and I take the utmost pride in that.

It feels really good, because now I’m getting to the point in my writing process where I can tell stories, and I can take real events and turn them into songs, either directly or abstractly. Being able to relive certain life events through my music and knowing others can do the same is fucking cool.

It’s a little scary, but I’m overall so happy with it, I can’t just keep this EP to myself. I’m willing to put myself out there now, and that’s why it does feel so vulnerable.

If this were two years ago, I don’t think I would be expressing myself publicly like this.

seradopa: That just got me thinking. What track do you think people are going to resonate with the most?

Mantra Sounds:  I feel like a lot of people that I’ve shown it to already are leaning toward “Split Lip.”

People think it’s really catchy, but it’s a very fast song. I’ve had two of my friends request it to be longer when I showed them the work in progress.

So I don’t know, but I think that one or “Faithless,” honestly, just because of the catchiness and it having that 2000’s kind of indie pop punk vibe.

seradopa: What was the thought process of arranging this EP?

Mantra Sounds:   I actually think I made them in order of where they are on the EP. It’s funny because the first one, “About Time I Wrote You a Song,” was when I was in a really angry stage. You could tell, from that one line, “you make rock bottom look so soft,” which is kind of mean. [Laughs] You know, that’s like a mean line!

I feel like each song is a different stage of grief I was going through. The first one is like an upset and angry flashback, the second one is almost accepting fate but still floating in that angry confused stage. Then, you go into “Faithless,” which has a whole different tone that isn’t so much pointing fingers but more so a genuine acceptance.

Like I fucked up, I know you’re thinking of me as a shitty person – It’s okay. We both caused problems for each other, and I’m sorry, but it’s time to step away.

Then the last song that Indobeats produced, is directed at the outsiders who chose to intervene and play both sides but refused to help either party. A borderline mic drop moment.

seradopa: Since it’s been two years since we last talked, how does it feel going through these big experiences and growing as an artist and a writer?

Mantra Sounds:  It feels like not so much time has passed. Then, when I really sit down and look back, a lot of growth has been made personally, professionally, and creatively. I feel a lot of artists don’t really sit and give ourselves time to be proud and everything.

When I played Pretty Lights Caverns, it was the most unreal crowd I ever played for and I went home that week, and I was like, “Alright, what’s next?”

You kind of don’t give yourself that grace to be like, “Oh my god, I just played one of the biggest shows that I’ve ever played in my life.”

For Red Rocks, I felt like I was really able to take that in though. We got a huge Airbnb, and I wrote all my friends little letters, thanking them for coming, and everything like that. It was a very intimate, personal experience.

Some of these shows that you have, it becomes so normal, and you forget to be like, “Wow, I just did that,” you know? I’m one who can’t slow down. I’m always so go, go, go, go, go. So I definitely need to be more in the moment and allow myself to be proud for sure.

seradopa: Since it just fits the vibe of the EP. If you had to create the perfect mixtape, what would be the top three songs to start off the vibes?

Mantra Sounds: I would probably do “Temporary Friends” by Notion and Charlotte Plank. Then “27” by Title Fight. And last, “1.28.19” by Chynna.

seradopa: I’m going to make a mini playlist now. This is Mantra Sounds’ perfect mixtape – first three songs!

[Laughs]

seradopa: To close out this interview, what’s the message you really want to send the audience about this EP?

Mantra Sounds: I want people to know you should be able to create anything you want based on your experiences, without feeling bad. Don’t be afraid of the perception of others, especially as a vocalist, or because you’re afraid your family is going to listen to it.

Don’t be afraid to release something because you think somebody is going to be mad at you for saying something about the experience that you had. That’s their projection. This is your art, and this is how you express yourself, and you should be proud of that! As soon as you start thinking about other people’s opinions and stuff, that’s where your art isn’t for you anymore.

And this EP… this is for me!

[Laughs]

This is definitely for me!

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Go on an emotional ride with Mantra Sounds and listen to her latest EP, Faithless, below!

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