Brooklyn rock duo Gardenia return with Don’t Look Up, a bold new EP out now on Mint 400 Records, showcasing the band’s signature mix of fuzzed-out bass, pounding drums, and raw emotion. Made up of Ryan Zakin (vocals/bass) and Tamir Malik (drums), the band formed in a Manhattan studio and quickly built a reputation for their ferocious live shows and sharp lyricism. Produced by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Jeff Rosenstock), the EP features standout tracks like the anthemic “Lana Del Rey,” the aching “I Miss You, Alexa,” and the brooding “(Stranger),” inspired by Camus’ L'Étranger and shaped with help from Sebastian Grainger of Death From Above 1979. With Don’t Look Up, Gardenia build on the momentum of their 2023 debut Knowing You Know Nothing, proving they’re not just one of Brooklyn’s best new bands—they’re one of the most exciting duos in indie rock today. We caught up with them to learn about their studio and writing process.
Q: In your opinion, what are the essential qualities that make a “good songwriter”?
Zakin: A real songwriter can tell a story that's so good you forget where you are for a moment. It's like that feeling after you sit in a movie for a couple hours and afterwards you feel like you were just living in it. I love trying to do that with songs
Q: What is the basis for writing attention-grabbing music in this day and age?
Zakin: It's still the same idea as it's always been; A good hook, a familiar item that makes the listener comfortable, but a twist to it that keeps it fresh. For me, it's the melody, that's where all my effort goes in terms of grabbing attention
Q: Can you pinpoint some specific songs and songwriters that changed the way you write music?
Zakin: Oh yeah lots of songwriters, and the funny thing is we don't sound like any of these people. Father John Misty, Jeff Rosenstock, Billy Joel, Kurt Cobain, they all really helped shape my voice. When I first heard them all, they helped phrase feelings I had in ways I didn't know how to describe it. I'm a sucker for one-liners too, and they all specialize in that.
Q: Do you find it hard to be inspired by your peers? Can you name any new artists you find inspiring?
Zakin: Not at all, New York is the most competitive place for musicians and all types of creative people. Some people let it crush their dreams, but I can't help but admire all the talented people around me all day. It makes me want to do better all the time. I'd tell you their names, but you either already know them or you'll discover them really soon.
Q: For your new album, what inspired the lyrical content, album title, and overall vibe?
Zakin: We started writing this EP without any true direction, but we had a lot of real-life stuff happening to us both musically and personally. There were a lot of issues we had to work through at this time, both internally and staring us in the face. The lyrics were all centered around stories of life at that particular moment, and the lives of people around us. The title 'Don't Look Up', was something I didn't want to do. When you look up, you can't help but see everything going on.
Q: Do you find that you ruminate over writing songs and hold on to them for a long time before including them on a record? Or do you prefer to write them, release them, and be done with them? Do you ever re-visit old material to do a re-write or once it’s done it’s done?
Zakin: Oh yeah, for every one Gardenia song you hear there's like five you haven't. We really don't like sharing music unless we are beyond excited about it, and would listen to it ourselves. We like to revisit old stuff sometimes, but some things should stay buried!
Q: Were there any lessons you learned in the writing and recording process for your current release that you will take with you into your next project?
Zakin: Submit to it. I used to be very controlling over every little detail of a track, which would hurt things more than if I just let things happen in the present. All three of these songs were recorded in two to three takes. We did practice them for MONTHS before going in the studio, but once the time came to put pencils down we did. We'll take this lesson with us forever.