EMMIE EXCLUSIVE: Local Madison Duo 745ish Debut First Single, “Drive”
745ish is making an official debut right here, right now. Formed by Madison locals Matt Mirkes (vocals + guitar) and Nathan Hahn (vocals + bass + drums), the duo sat down with us to give EMMIE an exclusive look at their debut single “Drive” and, as a growing band, their plans for the future.
▼
Having taught themselves how to play guitar and drums, respectively, and how to mix and record from home, 754ish is built upon self-determination, a welcomed DIY approach, and an open mind.
Named after their house Rock Band band name (circa their sophomore year at UW-Madison), 745ish represents who they are, who they’ve been, and how they’ve come to grow as friends over the years. “Nate doesn’t think this is funny,” Mirkes started, “but if there was ever a show and someone was like ‘What time does the band play?’ — [it would be] like ‘745ish starts at 8.”
After purchasing a drumset off of Facebook Marketplace and discovering a dire need for a creative outlet, things started manifesting. Mirkes shared: “I’ve always wanted to [make music] with someone who I was comfortable with and close with and I’ve found someone who I want to do that with.” For Hahn, the “stars aligned.” A classic “right place, right time” scenario. “The experiences we’ve had since two years ago have given us inspiration and things to write about,” Mirkes added.
The dream of building a band has always been with Mirkes and Hahn. Fast forward through their first encounter in the freshman dorms, a complete Rock Band set found at Dig & Save, and just over 4 years later, 745ish has come to fruition. “We’ve always messed around with music and wanted to do more,” Mirkes said. “Two years ago we were writing music and didn’t really do anything with it.”
Speaking on “Drive,” Mirkes said: “There wasn’t as much inspiration for this song as there has been for our other things. This one just kind of came out of nowhere.” Working out other projects, Hahn and Mirkes ended up playing themselves right into the cord structure for “Drive,” with the drums to back it up, and the rest came from there. “The way I wanted to hear the lyrics was to create a visual through the sound,” Hahn shared. “A lot of the lyrics are talking about certain emotions or certain things that you would experience or see on a trip West.”
According to Hahn and Mirkes, “Drive” is about missing a place that you’ve been, realizing its importance to you after you’ve gone away from it — to then come into the cruel realization that nothing is ever what it seems. There is the longing to be in the place you loved so much and the yearning to find your place within it; it’s about knowing what your happiness is, but not being able to have it. The journey can be lonely, but there is always the hope for change, for something more. It’s about facing facts: coming to terms with how things actually are.
Metaphors and longing aside, 745ish is ready to share more of themselves and keep experimenting. “We’re still figuring out what kind of music we like to make. All the things we have on the backburner, moving through the pipeline — everything is very different. The next thing is very different,” Mirkes shared. The next steps for the duo include finding the time and motivation to put more of themselves into their music, navigating life after college, keep fresh projects turning and compiling an EP — to have something to be proud of.
“I would encourage anyone reading this and listening to the song, to reach out to us, and let us know what they thought, good or bad. This song is on the back of so many of our friends and confidants, who have helped us to put it together — anything that anyone would have to say, we’d love to hear about it,” Hahn stated. “There’s been a great community in Madison surrounding music and I’m very lucky to be a part of it in the way that we are and I would like to meet more of those people, to make more connections.”
“We want friends and we want to play music,” Mirkes added.
