Photo credits: Chyrisse Tabone – https://www.facebook.com/chyrissephotography/photos/
Fanbase Music Magazine cathes up with Snapcat Bandits and talk about their latest track, ‘Anything To Say’:
Hi Mike and Mel, welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine. It’s been a while since we featured. Can you remind us where the band is from?
Hi Duzzy! It’s great to be back here with you again! Snapcat Bandits is from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, USA. We’ve lived in Michigan our entire lives.
How did the band form?
Snapcat Bandits was formed as a new project in 2023. We have been playing music together for many years and we were in other band projects together in the late 1990’s. Mike continued to write music on and off over the years although there wasn’t any official original band project going on. We were in a tribute band in 2018 and 2019. We had never before officially recorded or released music. We recorded our first EP, and released our first single in 2023 as Snapcat Bandits.
How would you describe the band’s sound and genre?
Snapcat Bandits is alternative rock with nu grunge and punk vibe. Punk is an attitude and we definitely have that. The sound is more modern than 1990’s grunge. We are forging a new sound for grunge music in 2025. We would describe the sound as heavy rock riffs with melodic verses and explosive choruses with modern guitar tones.
What music does each member like?
Mike’s biggest influences have been Nirvana, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Silverchair, and Seether.
Melanie’s biggest influences have been Metallica, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and Soundgarden. More recently we are both into the growing underground rock scene. There are so many incredible bands coming up.
Do you think the music you listen to influences your sound in the band?
It’s never our goal to allow too much influence into our music. Our goal is to write the music we always wanted to write and listen to. It’s impossible to get away from your influences altogether and we embrace where we come from for sure. On our first EP we gave ourselves a break from our influences and that allowed us to forge an original sound of our own. If any track sounds too much like another band, we usually toss it.
How many albums or singles has Snapcat Bandits released?
We have released two EPs for a total of 11 songs, which included one cover. The first EP titled “Shadows & Looks” was fully released in 2024 and contains 6 original songs. The second EP titled “Anything & Nothing” was fully released in July of 2025 and contains 4 original songs and one cover.
You have recently played some really great shows back to back, what was the experience like playing on stage recently?
In August 2025 we played three concerts across the State of Michigan with bands that we admire and respect. It was a rush of adrenaline that allowed us to play some of our best live music in front of an amazing and supportive crowd. Many people from the music scene that we know and respect were there. The camaraderie between the bands was amazing, and there is talk about a Bands Making Waves from the Great Lakes repeat show/festival for next year.
Who are some of the best bands you have shared the stage with?
We played back to back gigs with the Kings of Strings, and The Rising Fall. Tension Splash joined us for the second night at the Token Lounge. A few weeks later we played with The Almas when their tour came to Detroit. All of these bands are amazing to experience live. The Kings of Strings revived 70’s guitar rock and their live show is on fire! The Rising Fall is a lethal combination of 80′ metal and 90′ alternative rock that can’t be missed. Tension Splash returned to the stage after a long hiatus as the forefathers of the Detroit grunge scene and showed us all how it’s done. The Almas came through town and they were a three-piece buzzsaw of modern rock.
Let’s talk about your latest track, ‘Anything To Say’, how did that song come about, and what inspired the lyrics?
Mike wrote the song about 15 years ago after an argument with someone close at that time. The song was revived in 2024 when we decided to record it for the second EP. It fit the tone of the record perfectly. The chorus lyrics had not changed since it was first written. The verse lyrics were updated just before the song was recorded. Inspiration for the lyrics centers around feeling slighted by someone.
Where was the track recorded, and who else worked on it?
The track was recorded in our home studio in Dec 2023 and Jan of 2024. It was mixed and mastered at Pearl Sound Studios in March 2024 with Chuck Alkazian. Mike recorded all the parts except for the drums. Melanie laid down the drums. This was the final track released on the EP in July 2025.
Can you describe the recording process from start to finish?
The recording process starts with a scratch guitar and vocal track as a guide for laying down the drums. Once we are satisfied, we move on to the recording of the bass lines, followed by rhythm guitars. Last tracks laid down are lead guitars and vocals. All this occurs after the preproduction process of putting some mileage on the songs.
The track has a very cool music video. How was the video shot, and do you have any cool stories while filming it?
All of the footage of Mike was shot in Vero Beach, Florida in December of 2024. Melanie is the film director for the video, and the footage was shot at night by the ocean with the full moon out. The scenery was spectacular. We used a firepit to capture some of the footage. We mostly had the hotel to ourselves at night while filming except for one night when a young couple were out by the firepit having a romantic moment. We came out to film about 10:30 pm and needed the moon and firepit lighting before it changed. We had to forge on regardless of their romantic evening, and spoiled their moment when we set up and started blaring the most angry song you could possibly put on! They put up with it for a few minutes, but after about the third take, they had enough and left. So sorry! It probably wasn’t going to work out anyway, ha ha.
We later shot the drum parts back in Michigan and combined the footage. We held onto the video and released it shortly after the song came out.
Do you have any new music coming out?
We are currently in pre-production for our first full length album. We will be debuting a few new songs live during our concerts in Oct & Nov. The album is scheduled to come out sometime in 2026. The guitar tunings will be different in a Soundgarden kind of way, providing a darker sonic landscape than our listeners are used to hearing from us. Our latest release Anything to Say is a good segue into this new album. The topics will deal with heavier issues.
In your opinion, which bands and musicians should we check out?
Here’s the short list: Awaiting Abigail, The Rising Fall, Everfelt, Endure Everything, Slumlord Radio, Shirley Callaghan, Tension Splash, Kings of Strings, King Ern, Scared of My Brother, The Flying Beets, The Fraz Band, and Die Tired. These bands are always on our personal playlists.
Thank you for doing this interview. Do you have any last messages for our readers?
We have a saying when we take the stage: “If you’ve never seen us before, it’s nice to meet you! If you have seen us before, what’s up y’all and let’s do this!” We appreciate all our fans! Don’t forget to visit our website SnapcatBandits.com where you can join our exclusive fan club called “Snapcat Bandits Music Vault”, check out our videos and tracks, check out our social links, and browse our merch store.
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