A day removed from their enchanting show at the Sinclair, the San Antonio dream pop duo reflects on their transition from recording demos after school to playing national stages in real time.
Orca brought their vibrant energy to Cambridge’s Sinclair on Thursday, September 24, supporting Love Spells on his highly anticipated LOVE IS THE LAW tour. Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Orca—initially named the Space Cowboys before giving it up after a day or two—has built a blooming discography steeped in dream pop and alternative soul. Their airy, flowery melodies pair with introspective lyrics that remind listeners euphoric highs often come with uncomfortable lows.
With Mylena Velasquez on guitar and Daniel Galloway on drums, Orca filled the entire venue with their presence. Mylena flowed around the stage throughout the set, engaging all sides of the crowd and bending down to sing closer to individual fans. To complement familiar tracks like “skin&skin,” the duo treated the audience to a handful of unreleased songs such as standout “Gloss.” Whether finally putting faces to voices already heard on social media, or realizing their latest favorite discovery stood in front of them, fans at all exposure levels bobbed along as much as the crowded floor allowed, immersed in a performance that did not need elaborate production to foster a lingering experience.
The next day, en route to Philadelphia for the next stop of their tour, Mylena and Daniel connected with Sound of Boston from their rental car via video call to discuss touring, their songwriting process, and new music on the way.
Delaney Roberts (DR): How did Orca come to exist, and more importantly, what’s the original story behind the band?
Mylena (M): My brother and [Daniel] were friends; they started a band in college. I was supposed to come by to do some backing vocals because he mentioned he had a sister, and that’s how I got introduced to [Daniel]. We were making demos, and it was an after-school thing for me because I was still in high school at the time.
Daniel (D): Mylena’s brother came up with the name. We had a show in a week, and we just needed a name. Originally, funny though, we were the Space Cowboys for about a day and a half. And then we were like, “You know what, this doesn’t have a ring to it.” It was very on the spot, and it’s stuck.
Mylena: It stuck, and now it feels like a kind of representation for the Pacific Northwest.
DR: When you performed on the Red Couch, you said that you wrote “Certain Feelings” in high school. How does it feel to now perform that song on stage every night?
M: I don’t think I can even understand it still. It was so in the moment in high school, and I didn’t think it was going to go anywhere. We started jamming on a demo, and I would take it to school and just listen to it and write, and that was the process. To think of it back then to now, and seeing people know the words in the crowd-it’s so bizarre to me. People know the song and get their phones out [when we perform it].
DR: What’s your songwriting process as a band?
D: It’s been shifting for a long time. Early on, it started off very two-sided. I would do the music side, and she would do the melodies. Slowly, it’s been morphing into a more collaborative process, together.
M: It’s still pretty new, and we’re finding the most comfortable way of writing with each other. With our new project that we’re coming out with, we really experimented with writing in the same room and seeing how that works. It’s been really special.
DR: Can you tell me about new music on the way?
M: We’re leaning away from our discography. We’ve been experimenting with a lot of sounds. On this piece, we’ve had help from Paul Cataluzo, aka Hether, and he’s a huge icon to us. We opened up for him. He’s a super sweet guy, and he was so down to work on this upcoming project we have. With his input, we wrote our original demos and sent them over to him, and he revamped them. The way he engineers things is all analog, so it’s going to be really cool. The sounds are really exciting.
D: You can really see the textures by hearing them. We can’t wait for everyone to hear it.
M: This feels like the most we’ve sat down and really taken our time with a project before because I feel like the rest have been kind of on-the-spot.
DR: You played some of these new songs in Boston?
M: Yeah, we played a couple of them. We’ve been so excited to play them live.
D: The main one is “skin&skin,” which is coming out [October 2]. We’re so excited. It’s the summary of the EP in one single song.
DR: If you could describe that song in one sentence or word, what would it be?
M: I’d say sad-romantic.
D: Beautiful
DR: Who have you been listening to, and have they been inspiring your new music?
D: Most of the tour has been just trying to find new music. We’ve been listening to a lot of the Carpenters; we’ve been into old stuff recently.
M: Also, Hether!
DR: How would you describe each other’s personalities?
D: Imperfectly chaotic.
M: He’s a Scorpio. All the qualities of a Scorpio.
DR: Has anything happened on tour that’s been surprising to you?
D: Last night in Boston was so nice. The crowd was so energetic.
M: I’ve never been to Boston. I’ve always heard about it and was told that I would love it. Everything was beautiful—the town was so pretty, and the people were so nice. With touring, I’ve been seeing so much of the world. I’ve never really traveled as much before.
DR: How do you maintain normalcy while on tour and being in a new place every night?
D: It’s definitely new. We’re trying to forget the word “normal.” Nothing is normal [for us] anymore.
M: I try to find a coffee shop in each city. I’m trying to make that a part of my routine before I go to work [chuckles]. It’s so fun. It’s crazy that we’re even able to do this. We’re not taking any part of this for granted, and we’re just enjoying it all.
DR: How do you guys keep up the energy each night?
D: We sleep as much as we can.
M: Yeah. I also like to listen to music before I go on, just to calm down. I have really bad stage fright, even though it probably doesn’t look like it, but I’ve definitely grown since our first show.
DR: Is there any city or venue that you’re especially excited to play in the future?
M&D: The Roxie in LA!
D: This will be our first time playing there officially. We’re gonna be there for two nights.
DR: What’s your favorite part of being on tour?
D: Of course, the venues are so nice each night, but the drives are honestly my favorite part.
M: Yeah! I agree, especially when it’s somewhere we haven’t been. Places like Boston have been so pretty to see. Finding new music and the time to relax, as well as meeting fans after the show, have been so sweet.
DR: Last night, at the Boston show, the fans you were interacting with were around the same age as you guys. How does it feel to play a show to people who may be in similar life stages?
M: It feels like we’re growing with our fans. They share the same experiences as us in a way, and it helps drive the music.
D: We love it.
DR: What feeling do you want those fans to walk away with after seeing Orca live?
M: I hope they found something that was special, that they could relate to, or that helped them discover new music. It’s been surprising how many comments we’ve been getting from people saying that they didn’t really listen to this genre of music until they found us.
D: I hope they enjoy the music after seeing us live. It’s so sweet to know we pulled someone in and that our music resonated with them.
DR: On that same note, how does it feel to be an opener and bring new music to people who might not have heard you before?
D: It’s really nice. It feels like throwing somebody treasure.
M: It’s definitely nice, but there’s that tiny fear of judgement because we’re presenting ourselves as openers, opening ourselves up for critique, and for someone to take it or leave it. But it’s always sweet to know we got at least one person.
D: As long as we get at least one person, we’re good.
M: As long as at least one person is interested, I’m fine. I’ll perform for that one person.
DR: How has it been being on tour with Love Spells?
D: It’s been incredible. He’s the sweetest guy.
M: It feels like fam already. We’re all so comfortable, and everyone’s so sweet. We’re all looking out for each other, making sure everyone reaches the venue safely and doing time checks. We keep each other all in check… It’s been a good time.
DR: Zooming out, how did you guys get your start and find your footing in the music industry?
D: It was very vague; we didn’t know exactly what we were stepping into. Our current manager reached out to us almost two years ago and asked if we needed any help.
M: He trusted him and asked a lot of questions. It’s crazy how many people know each other and are willing to help when they believe in something. It’s been really sweet to find people who believe in us.
DR: There’s a lot of pressure and risk that goes into getting signed, agreeing to contracts, and all of the behind-the-scenes work. What was it like to navigate that so young?
D: It was definitely a risk, but we have so much trust in our managers. They’re incredible. They protected us throughout this whole process, and it feels like we’re set up comfortably.
M: We have a lot of trust in the good of people. I consider myself a natural optimist. Also, you only live once.
DR: What song of yours feels most authentic to you?
D: In this moment, I’d say one of the new ones from our upcoming project, “skin&skin.” The answer is always changing, but “skin&skin” feels most like Orca right now.
M: I’d say “Gloss” from our upcoming project feels really special and is the best song we’ve written so far. We played it live in Boston too!
DR: You guys are building a lot of anticipation for this upcoming project. How does it feel to have new music on the way?
D: We like to move fast, but with this project, we’re trying to have it come out right. We usually want our music out fast. We’re very anxious people.
M: I think we’re faster because we just love putting out music. We love feeling the rush of it.
DR: What advice would you give to people who want to get to where you are?
D: It always starts with the music. As Mylena said, you have to make it for yourself. If you’re not making music for yourself, you might lose the love of it. Love the music and play it for yourself. The worst thing you can do is not release it.
M: Don’t get too in your head if you think it’s bad or you think no one’s going to like it. Music is so interpretive. Someone out there will like it. Taking the risk is totally worth it.
DR: What was it like writing those early songs without the support of an established fandom?
D: We didn’t think about that at all. We didn’t think anyone was going to listen. Maybe that’s the superpower: Go into writing a project thinking that no one is going to listen to it.
M: It’s so freeing. It allows people to see the most authentic version of what you can create.
DR: What’s next for Orca?
M&D: We plan on being on the road a lot. We’re excited to drop our new project. Stay tuned!
“skin&skin” by Orca is out now.