Say Lonely Finds Its Voice on ‘The Mariner’

Say Lonely drew inspiration for its debut single, “The Mariner,” from J.R.R. Tolkien’s poetry, familiar stories, and an apartment building in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood. Bringing those ideas together took a collaborative writing process and a singer whose arrival changed the song.

The Buffalo, New York, band is signed to independent label Mother West. Its sound draws from alternative and indie rock, with influences extending into shoegaze, punk, and pop. The label describes a group focused on atmosphere and melody while retaining the energy of a live performance.

“The Mariner” began with guitar ideas Joel Proulx brought to rehearsal. The band developed the structure together before Rob VanSaders and guitarist Matt Pawleski took a cellphone recording home to work on melodies and lyrics. When vocalist Sofia Greco joined, her approach to the chorus gave the musicians the version they wanted to release.

The accompanying video, directed by Adam Seitz, keeps the focus on the band performing. That straightforward presentation reflects a practical decision to control production costs while introducing the group and its music.

With recording completed for an album expected in 2027, Say Lonely is preparing for live performances and another single, “Say It Once.” In the following interview, the band discusses its influences, collaborative approach and plans for the months ahead.

Watch “The Mariner” Official Music Video

From Tolkien to Buffalo

What inspired your debut single, “The Mariner”?

The idea and inspiration for The Mariner is an amalgamation of a few different things, but I think it started with the poem by J.R.R. Tolkien called Errantry. It’s really a beautiful work; the meter, rhyming structure, and story all weave together to create such a fantastical image and real sense of adventure. We wanted to create a song that paid homage to such a great writer and poem while tying in some real-life personal experiences through allusions to push our songwriting in a new direction. There are other references lyrically from The Wizard of Oz, Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod, as well as to an apartment complex in Buffalo’s Allentown aptly named ‘The Mariner.’ We really wanted to focus on making a song about things we love.

How did the song come together as a band?

Two guitar riffs were brought to practice by Joel. Once we got in the room, inspiration struck, and the structure came together quickly. Matt and Rob then took a cell phone recording of the song home. Rob came up with the melody for the chorus, and Matt wrote all the lyrics and the rest of the melody.

Finding the Right Voice

How did Sofia joining the band change the song?

We had a female singer we were working with, and things sounded “fine”. We ultimately thought she was not the right fit and started looking for another singer. When Sofia got in the room, we showed her the song. The Chorus was supposed to be sung an octave down, but when she started to belt, we knew she was the right fit. The vocals seemed more powerful, and the song was taken to another level.

What bands or artists have influenced your sound?

Turnover, Hundreth, Angels and Airwaves, Paramore

Keeping the Focus on the Music

Why did you decide to keep the music video simple and focus on the band performing?

This was simply to keep the cost as low as possible. We wanted to keep the shooting time to a minimum. We figured our first video would be fine without a concept.

How do your different musical backgrounds influence your sound?

We are all influenced by different genres. From alt/indie to pop punk. We don’t really think of specific genres when we write. We just write what we think we would want to listen to, and our influences come out in the music.

How important is playing live to Say Lonely?

Our first show is on 12/8, and we can’t wait to get back to playing live. For most of us, it has been a year or more since our last show with previous bands. Playing out is what it is all about.

More Music on the Way

You’ve finished recording your upcoming album. What can fans expect from it?

They can expect a lot of different genres to come out in the music. No song sounds the same.

You have two more singles planned before the album. Can you tell us anything about them?

The next single comes out in early December. The song title is “Say It Once,” and it is an 80s-style song. We are not sure what other songs we will be releasing as singles next.

What’s next for Say Lonely, and is there anything else you’d like to share with fans?

We are heading to NYC to do an acoustic session with The PENYC Sessions. Other than that, we are preparing for our first show and beginning to write music for another album.

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