PopHorror Let's Get Scared
The past few months have been the definition of a dream come true for the boys of Australian pop-metalcore band Melrose Avenue. After gaining a loyal fanbase through viral BookTok-coded Reels and TikToks, they proved they have the musical chops to match their sense of humor with a debut U.S. tour.
Throughout the summer, Vlado Saric (vocals), Shawn Mayer (guitarist/supporting vocalist), Jed McIntosh (drummer) and Mitchell Black (guitarist) hit the road with Ice Nine Kills — a major milestone for any rising international act. They also played select shows with The Word Alive and The Funeral Portrait, plus a handful of intimate headline gigs. It was a whirlwind ride as these four Aussies traversed the U.S. in a van, braving close quarters, taking in the sights and meeting many of their online supporters face-to-face.
PopHorror recently caught up with Mayer, who reflected on the band’s warm reception from American fans (including a 4-year-old!), the chaotic joys of van life and what’s next — from new music to a nearly sold-out UK/Europe tour.
PopHorror: It’s been a few weeks since Melrose Avenue toured across the U.S. How does it feel to be back home? Are you recuperating? What did you miss most about Australia?
Shawn Mayer: I’m actually still on tour technically! I am here in LA, but I know the boys have gone home and are really enjoying the downtime. We’re always actively writing and communicating with each other, so this period is nice. Everybody’s kind of taking a bit of time just to relax and do their thing before more hectic stuff starts happening.
PopHorror: What are you up to in LA?
Shawn Mayer: I’m producing and writing tracks with artists over here. I thought it was a good opportunity just to stay in the states while I was here and continue my musical journey. But the boys have gone back home, which is cool.
PopHorror: Tell me all about the Ice Nine Kills tour! How did that tour come to be? Were you familiar with INK beforehand?
Shawn Mayer: We knew of Ice Nine Kills before we toured with them, but we didn’t know them too well. We were introduced to them by a friend and we knew about them for about a year before we started touring. Our lawyer happens to represent them as well. So they put two pieces together and then before we knew it, we were on a lineup with Ice Nine Kills playing our first tour in front of 1,000 people a night and it’s like, “What’s going on? This feels like a dream, a fantasy.” But it was all there and all real. It was super cool to learn from all the other bands as well who have had so much experience touring. They were super supportive to us considering we were very green and fresh to the scene. I think it worked out pretty well.
PopHorror: And then while you were on the Ice Nine Kills tour, you had other shows tucked in there with The Word Alive and The Funeral Portrait [check out our interview with frontman Lee Jennings here], in addition to some solo shows. What was it like balancing everything?
Shawn Mayer: We had a couple of interesting routes. We were, for example, in Florida, the next day in Atlanta, Georgia and then the next day in Florida again. So it was a lot of running around into different places. We played a couple of shows with The Word Alive and The Funeral Portrait, some side shows. It seemed to really be great vibes at all those shows. We also played a couple of headliner shows just to test the waters and were blown away by the response and the amount of people that came and bought merch. So for four Aussie dudes who, at one point, this was a dream, seeing it all kind of flourish and become a reality, it’s a very rewarding experience and a rewarding feeling as well.
PopHorror: What was it like meeting all of the fans? Did any interactions really stand out to you?
Shawn Mayer: We had a 4-year-old fan who came to four shows with the mom. Something like that, where someone is introduced at such a young age to someone like us, that can pave the way for inspirations in the future. It may make her want to do music when she’s older. It creates dreams for people. It’s just amazing that we’ve been able to do that and give that to the fans. And meeting everybody was just such a beautiful experience, people coming up to us who know who we are and we’re like, “Oh, wow, that’s crazy!” It’s a weird feeling. But I think it was just such a delight to meet all the fans, such a nice experience.
PopHorror: Was there anything about the American culture where you guys were like, “Oh, what is this?!”
Shawn Mayer: Apparently you guys call chicken burgers chicken sandwiches, and that’s something we were debating. That’s so unheard of in Australia!
PopHorror: I understand that you guys basically did the entire tour in a van. You drove yourselves everywhere. What was that like?
Shawn Mayer: It was interesting. We drove in a Cruise America and there were seven of us. Vlado was on the floor for most of the tour, like sleeping on the hard floor. So that was our home for a month and a half and it was a messy home. But you know what? We made it work. We drove thousands of miles with it and it took us from A to B safely. That’s all we could have asked for. Some people do tours in a sprinter van, where we were fortunate enough on our first tour to be in something a little bit bigger, have a little bit more luxury to it, have something that we can cook meals in. So I do think that we were very privileged to have that, so it was great. I think everybody liked the RV, but you know, after a while with seven people in a tight space, it can get stinky after a while.
PopHorror: I’m sure it’s great to have your own space again!
Shawn Mayer: You have no idea. You’re sharing with everyone all the time and in close quarters. But that’s what builds great relationships and makes for lifelong memories. In the moment it can seem pretty crazy, but looking back, it was just an incredible experience all around and we just can’t wait to do it again.
PopHorror: Will you have a similar setup for the UK/Europe tour? That’s nearly sold out! How does that feel? Have you ever performed there before?
Shawn Mayer: I’m not 100% sure about the setup, we are still discussing things for the Europe tour. But yeah, that’s pretty incredible. I think Jed’s been over there with another band, but as a band now, we’ve never been over there, so that’ll be a first. And the fact that it’s almost sold out already is super exciting. We’ve had to upgrade a couple venues and add a few shows. I think London’s going to be a big show, so that’s super exciting. For a new band to headline a show at a 600 cap venue in London, it’s like, damn, that’s outstanding. It’s so exciting. It’s just so cool to be able to do that. We just feel so privileged.
PopHorror: It seems like many of Melrose Avenue‘s fans found the band through social media. Vlado does a lot of stuff on TikTok and Instagram. Have you found that a lot of your fans maybe saw those videos first and then said, “Oh, they actually have really good music too. I want to go to the show!”
Shawn Mayer: Totally. Because social media has been so big, why not utilize it? Why don’t we just make funny or relatable videos and put the music in the background? That’s kind of what took off “Suffering” in the first place. Vlado made this meme, which was essentially, “I am suffering,” and it’s something like, when you’re out of milk. The chorus starts playing, “I am suffering,” and it ended up being on thousands of videos. That’s when the song really started taking off. The song was out for I think six to eight months before it really started picking up. And then we released “Fool and the Beggar” and then things really started picking up from there. It’s very interesting how that all happens.
PopHorror: I have to ask you about BookTok and how the band is very popular amongst that community of girls. I know Vlado gets the bulk of the attention. Is that something the rest of the band wants in on too, or are you guys happy letting him take the lead there?
Shawn Mayer: He knows more about it than we do. We just say, “Okay, cool, that’s cool.” I’ve heard that it’s a pretty intense industry. [laughs] So I think I’ll let him deal with it! But we’re thankful to BookTok because that’s kind of what helped push the songs and the music.
PopHorror: Definitely! Now to pivot a bit, Melrose Avenue has toured with some of the best horror-driven bands in the game right now, including Ice Nine Kills and The Funeral Portrait. Are you a fan of horror yourself?
Shawn Mayer: I am, though I like it in doses. Some of my favorites, I really like It and Pennywise. I watched Evil Dead Rise recently. That was pretty wild. Besides that, I’m very amateur horror. I’ve seen that Talk to Me Australian one from A24. Super, super cool. If you haven’t seen it, it’s awesome. Anything that A24 does is really, really good, like Midsommar. I think The Ritual was scary as shit.
PopHorror: Looking ahead, is there anything that you can share about what’s next for the band as far as new music? Do you think you’ll stick to a similar sound or change it up a bit?
Shawn Mayer: I think the sound is always evolving in different ways. The new music is going to surprise people in a really good way. We’re still sticking to our roots, but just exploring different things. Sometimes it’ll be a little poppier, sometimes it’ll be a little heavier. But it’s just good old Melrose music that you haven’t heard before. There’s a lot of exciting new things in different songs, and we will be releasing a bit of music over the next year. So whoever is reading, I’m very excited for you to hear these songs. We’ve worked very long and hard on them, and it’s going to be great to have them out. I can’t wait to come play some of them in Europe and it’s just going to all around be a super cool, exciting year ahead, even though it’s the middle of the year! [“Black Heart” was released after our interview with Shawn. Check it out below!]
PopHorror: Do you have any influences or favorite bands that you draw into your sound?
Shawn Mayer: Me, Nickelback is a big one. Dayseeker is a big one for all of us. Jed grew up on a lot of gospel and hip hop, so that’s where his drumming influence comes from. Mitchell came from a very metal background with Avenged Sevenfold and Metallica. And then Vlado, he comes from all different kinds of backgrounds but pop originally, which really ties into the heavy sound that we’re producing. So it balances the scales a bit more and it all comes together. The heavy songs can be heavy if they had screaming on them, but when Vlado sings on them, it really evens everything out. I think we’ve nailed that sound.
PopHorror: And I think that’s what’s attracting a wider fan base beyond just metal fans to you guys.
Shawn Mayer: Totally, 100%. We’ve always wanted to be kind of that gateway to heavier bands for people who have listened to pop music all their life or something like that. The conversion becomes easier when you’ve got something that you’re aiming to sing along to.
PopHorror: Do you have a long-term goal that you’d love to achieve someday with Melrose Avenue?
Shawn Mayer: I can’t speak for the others, but I feel like for me, standing on the stage on the Ice Nine Kills tour was kind of that. You’ve put so much work into it. You’ve made it here. I almost feel like I could talk for the rest of the boys in saying that. We are just taking every moment as it comes and every day as it comes. We, a year ago, could not have dreamed of being on stage in front of 1,000 people a night with bands that we’ve looked up to. It’s just incredible. We’re just very fortunate. So I think we plan to do a lot of touring. I’m not sure when we can announce what’s coming next or if we know what’s coming next, but it’s all on the cards and it’s all exciting stuff. I cannot wait to share it with everyone.
PopHorror: For any fans who might just be discovering Melrose Avenue, is there anything that would surprise them to learn about you?
Shawn Mayer: We’re super Aussie. Four Aussie blokes from Australia. An interesting fact, Jed was on The Bachelor in Australia. Then Vlado was on The X Factor, which is kind of like an Australian Idol rip off kind of thing. And I used to be in TV commercials, some for radio stations in Australia. And I did something for Nickelodeon! It was a long time ago when I was a kid.
PopHorror: Do you have any final words for the fans?
Shawn Mayer: We’re just super keen to release more music, come play for you, come meet you and good vibes.
Thanks for speaking with us, Shawn! Stay tuned for our interview with Vlado Saric, who talks fitness, fans and, of course, BookTok.
