Samantha Gongol of Marian Hill talks about her new solo EP 'Flash in the Pan!'\” />

Samantha Gongol from the electronic duo Marian Hill chatted about her new solo EP “Flash in the Pan!” that will be released on August 20th.

How did you approach the song selection process for your new solo EP?

This EP has had more iterations than HBO Max. I ultimately just picked some of my favorites, particularly those with a theatrical bent.

With the exception of American Boy, most of the songs on the EP including the interludes, grapple with the pitfalls of the entertainment business. 

What is your personal favorite song on there?

I like them all for different reasons! To be honest I really enjoy the interludes. I was very heavily influenced by Peggy Lee’s “Is that all there is.” I think it’s the creme de la creme and can never be matched, but it’s so cinematic and evocative.

I just love her dulcet tones casually taking the listener through each calamitous event with a shrug.

In Marian Hill, we play with some of that tone, but these interludes were an inspired homage.

What inspires your music and songwriting?

Life, relationships, sometimes other music! Usually a song is inspired by something that is still very raw for me or something I’ve been chewing on for a while.

I actually haven’t written a full song in many months now, but there’s nothing like the feeling of sitting down at the piano or picking up the guitar, and singing through that first inspired idea.

Every song on this EP was inspired either alone in my room or just sitting down with an instrument. I wrote Whiplash entirely in my head before fleshing it out with Jeremy and my cousin Jake.

What do your plans for the future include?

I would love to release a full length solo record. I’ve also been having a lot of fun writing and acting, so that would be incredible for FITP! (or some iteration of) the show to get picked up! Jeremy and I have also been writing…

How does it feel to be an artist in the digital age?

Like riding a psychotic horse towards a burning stable.

What is your advice for young and emerging artists? 

Take the money! 

Which artists would you like to do a dream collab with someday? 

Omg, there are so many. Dream collabs include Pharrell, Norah Jones, Stevie Nicks, Imogen Heap, and Kacey Musgraves.

I also really want to do a jazz standard with Jon Batiste.

What would you like to say to our readers about your new music? (What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it) 

I hope they have fun with the EP! It’s very tongue-in-cheek. The music is very different from Marian Hill, and it was both necessary and personally explorative to step into a new sonic world for a moment.

Although if you’re looking for a little holdover, I would direct you towards the Jeremy co-produced track Whiplash.

There’s a little bit of everything on Flash in the Pan! ; pop, singer-songwriter, Marian Hill-esque! 

To learn more about Samantha Gongol, follow her on Instagram and Facebook.