We had a chat with cinematic dream pop artist Mary Knoblock following the release of her ethereal and atmospheric new album Halo
Armed with an ethereal and other-worldly appeal that often manifests itself in atmospheric soundscapes and enigmatic mysteries, Mary Knoblock is an artist who’s cinematic and all-encompassing brand of dream pop leaves a potent, lasting impression on listeners, gently lulling you into her distinctive, artistic world and threatening to never let go.
The artist’s brand new album Halo is packed full of moments on catharsis, intensity, darkness and light, as the artist takes you on a transformative journey through love, loss and the afterlife in compelling and expansive fashion. There is so much to unpack about the artist’s distinctive sound and intense appeal, so we had a chat with Mary to find out some more about her motivations, her influences and what went into the crafting of such a creative body of work.
Who TF is Mary Knoblock?
A soul that lives for art, music, poetry, life and the beautiful mess of it all. A normal girl from Oregon who got lucky enough to be able to hear stories in music and translate really wild ideas into sonic landscapes for a small audience that loves cinematic dream pop.
How long have you been making music?
7 years formally, professionally, and many, many more studying and dreaming of composing symphonies in my mind.
Why do you make music?
To bring songs into the world that may help one other person.
What are your biggest influences?
Bach, Mozart, James Blake, This Mortal Coil, all Renaissance music, all Baroque music. Radiohead, Grimes, Nick Drake, Suki Waterhouse, Bjork, Tori Amos, Middle Youth, The Caretaker, Paulinho Nogueira, so many more.
What would you say has been your best moment so far?
Arranging Desert Spade and – XO Hearts Symphony before anyone knew my music.
How would you describe your sound to somebody unfamiliar with it?
Cinematic Dream Pop, like getting lost in a carnival maze with the carnival ride hazy sounds and falling into a huge cloud of cotton candy with the strangest sounds that sound beautiful that envelop your senses. Yea. Cinematic Cotton Candy Dream Pop Maze Land.
What’s your dream “I’ve made it” moment?
If a fan wrote and said how Halo changed their life, that would be enough for me. I’d frame that and put it by the album cover.
We love your new album Halo, what more can you tell us about it?
Thank you so much. I’m really honored you love Halo. Halo is an entry to the cinematic dream pop world of Mary Knoblock. Opens with a grand storyline into a tragic and beautiful tale of love simultaneously with life’s mysteries and experiences in the caverns of the mind. Hints at the afterlife, why she’s there, or stuck there away from the world below in a Halo of ethereal space.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I’d like to do another album before year end but these things take time, the songs are very involved lyrically so we’ll see how far I get. Halo formed over a year so maybe we’ll get an encore EP from Halo. That may be easier to compose before 2025.
And finally, who is your biggest fan right now?
A brilliant composer who believes in my work very much. And it’s an honor to have that support, you know as an experimental neo-classical artist and songwriter you’re really stretching boundaries in cinematic dream pop. And to have someone who is so talented and brilliant at what they do take time to listen to my little odd compositions, that’s a dream.
