The Rise of Meldrop in 2026
INTERVIEWS
By Krista Orejudos
4/6/26
Analyzing the rise of one of Seattle’s most exciting indie bands, plus a mini Q&A.
Courtesy of Meldrop
As a rapidly developing city, Seattle is being put on the map for many things in 2026. The Seahawks are Super Bowl champions, the 2 Line expansion was executed, the tourism and hospitality is attracting global partners like FIFA, but not enough is said about the music scene, particularly Seattle’s indie rock scene. At the heart of these two combined genres is Meldrop, a five-piece band who decided they’d rather risk it all and chase their dreams of pursuing music than to continue bussing tables at Tacoma’s Lobster Shop. It only took one impromptu jam session after work in 2022 for each member to realize their musical chemistry was something special. While the band may hold a strong indie rock identity, do not be fooled. They can also create that feel good sensation within you by layering J-Pop and jazzy blues sounds in tracks such as “Goodman,” “Switch It Up,” “Smoove Lettuce,” and “Gemini.” At the same time, those upbeat instrumentals are used in situationship-esque songs like “Tuncap,” “Faded,” and “Where You Go,” where the repetitive lyricism carries an unresolved depth of yearning, heartbreak, and daydreamy angst. From bussing tables to going on tour, Meldrop’s thematic plot is starting to look a lot like a heartfelt early 2000s surf-rock movie. A rocky start, a little slice of life romance, a few hiccups here and there on the beach, but the ultimate happy ending is when everyone is already up on their feet, waiting to dance to some good old Meldrop originals!
Who is Meldrop?
Melodaze, their 2025 sophomore EP, saw the group's fanbase skyrocket, cresting over 300k monthly listeners on Spotify. Meldrop quickly became one of the most talked-about rising indie groups in the region with comparisons to indie forebears like Real Estate, Day Wave, and Mac DeMarco as well as contemporaries like Babe Rainbow.
Compared to their debut self-titled EP, Melodaze focuses on sonic and lyrical maturity. Riffing off of the same careless energetic hype from 2023, Melodaze is produced with set themes tackling heartbreak, vulnerability, and mental health. The rookie restraints were completely removed and all that was left was the band’s hunger to challenge themselves in 2025.
Just from the instrumentals alone, Melodaze moves away from simplicity. Where a song in Meldrop starts with the piano playing or the drums rolling, Melodaze asks more out of each member to crescendo a melodic tension before the lyrics are sung.
You don’t just hear a singular sound from the piano or the drums anymore, it’s both instruments being played while the guitar is either vibrating in the background or having its strings plucked to accent a feathery light touch.
Then when the singing does begin, the vocals leave quite the first impression on the listeners. Pleading cases of “I see it in your face” or psychoanalyzing tendencies of "Is it the way I walked?” are repeated phrases that the band shouts out aggressively in "Tuncap" and "Faded." The repetition only maximizes their frustration because of the lack of closure that is still prompting them to overthink past romantic encounters.
You can also hear the growing confidence of their vocal range in Melodaze as they have a better understanding and control of how to carry the fast paced lyrical tension of each song’s set theme. Gone is the experimental clumsiness heard from their first EP.
Though at its core, Melodaze’s success can be traced back to the recording sessions in the studio.
“We spent five straight days in the studio, having never spent more than two before, and paid a lot more to record in Seattle than we previously had in Tacoma.” Meldrop confesses. “And of course, spending almost a week locked in the booth with each other tested our patience, but ultimately brought us closer together in a way that (we hope) comes through in the music.”
EP Comparisons + Melodaze Creative Process
Before the band went on tour in March, they released their first new single in January 2026, Reggie ‘93.
In MSN’s interview with drummer Elijah Tuncap, he described the song to be written from “the perspective of a stalker who falls in love and becomes clouded by fear of being rejected.” Tuncap breaks down how the first verse is dedicated to the stalker being overly obsessive about his crush, and by the second verse, the stalker begins to creep around the object of their desire, crossing a line they don’t mind crossing. “The lyrics reflect his internal thoughts, driving himself mad with obsession and yearning for a love he'll never pursue.”
After releasing Reggie ‘93, they released their latest single, Medchill, a week before they officially went on tour! To me, Medchill sounds like it could be featured on the deluxe EP version of Melodaze. Its musical production starts out chill and slow, and quickly crescendos into a louder yearning.
The chorus, “You know you’re running out of time, you do/And I know loving is a crime, so cruel/Don’t be that crazy,” calls back to the same themes of time and love in Tuncap. Whereas Tuncap’s opening lyric is, “Waste your time away with me,” Medchill is the result of what happens when two people regret having wasted their time on each other.
That same feeling of regret in relation to how timing doesn’t always align with romance is also explored in Faded. Particularly when the band sings, “Was it the time and space?” asking themselves if their relationship was in the wrong time and space for it to have failed.
It seems like new music exploring similar themes from their previous EPs are on its way. In the aforementioned MSN interview, Tuncap says fans should be on the lookout for a full-length album in the fall of this year.
Since Reggie ‘93 and Medchill are different and unique in their own ways, I’m excited to see what else Meldrop drops throughout 2026, leading up to fall!
Meldrop’s Latest 2026 Singles
Courtesy of Meldrop
On April 24, I had the honor to interview Meldrop in the studio at The Vera Project!
Shout out Justin Schmidt for reaching out to me on LinkedIn about featuring Meldrop on The Paperblog Writers and for my podcast!
The interview won’t be up on Youtube until late May or early June, so in the meantime, please enjoy this mini Q&A I had with the band.
Mini Q&A + Future Podcast Interview With Meldrop
Q: When writing songs, does Meldrop think about the lyrics or the beats first?
The songwriting process definitely centers the music before lyrics. Typically, one of us will bring a little riff to practice and we'll jam out the song until it feels good, then we'll go back and write lyrics before we hit the studio to record.
Q: What has been Meldrop's favorite city or cities to tour in so far?
Our favorite cities so far have been Santa Cruz and LA. People have always told us that our music gives off a California vibe, and we've definitely felt the love when we make it out there.
Q: Who are some famous musicians and artists that Meldrop wants to work with in the future?
We would love the opportunity to work with either Masayoshi Takanaka or Mac DeMarco. Our music draws a lot of influence from those two guys, so it would be a dream to be able to work with them at some point.
Q: How does Meldrop spend their time outside of making music?
Outside of music, some of our hobbies include skating, hacky sack, video games, and just kicking it around Seattle. We're all good friends outside of the band, so we spend a lot of time just hanging out.
Be sure to catch Meldrop live in Seattle this Saturday, April 11, at Barboza! Buy tickets for the last stop of their “GOOD FROM AFAR” tour here.
Listen to Medchill and Reggie '93
