A Chat with stol_n (02.08.26)
Celebrating the grit, gore, tragedy and triumph of life experiences, pop-punk/pop-rock duo stol_n take reality and pour in meaning with moving melodies. We speak with the pair about their debut single, ‘Pretty Little Liar’, what music means to them, upcoming plans and more.
OSR: The story behind stol_n’s formation stems from perseverance and turning adversity into art. Can you give us a little more detail? Also, how does channelling the emotions of your experience shape the identity of the band?
stol_n: We grew up together as friends in high school, and played in bands together, but at some point we lost our friendship due to the dynamics of certain relationships we were in at the time. Around 2023, we reconnected whilst we were both going through some incredibly traumatic events in our individual lives. John was navigating a difficult separation from his wife, and Dan and his wife lost a baby late term in the pregnancy – all around the same time we were reconnecting. We decided a band was a healthy way to process and deal with it. A “therapy band”, let’s say!
So for us it was unfinished business to put together a band, and do it on our terms. Write about what we wanted to say, despite everything that was going on. We decided that the message of stol_n was going to be really blunt and honest. We were going to write about our first-hand experiences and not hold back. Even the name ‘stol_n’ is a stylised version of “stolen”. The idea that things have been stolen from you, and you’re angry about it!
Some of the songs that we are yet to release get pretty angry and dark.
OSR: You recently released your debut single, ‘Pretty Little Liar’. What can you tell us about the single? What is the particular theme or backstory?
stol_n: It’s a sarcastic take on a first-hand experience. It’s basically describing a series of events when dealing with that trauma, trying to have a good time, find love and disconnect from the horrible things in your life. It’s both fun and dark at the same time.
OSR: The project is based across two countries – New Zealand and Australia. How does being in separate countries influence your workflow and music production? In other words, what does your creative process look like when writing, recording and producing singles?
stol_n: Yeah, so we are both originally from New Zealand, but Dan lives in Australia now. But that minor inconvenience hasn’t stopped us. John built a studio space at his house, and we spent countless late nights recording, collaborating and writing over ‘Muse’ (it’s like a musician’s version of Zoom btw). There were also a lot of flights back and forth between Aus and NZ to record music videos. ‘Pretty Little Liar’ was filmed at the Auckland Viaduct.
OSR: You brought on producer Kyle Marchant (known for work with Silverstein) for ‘Pretty Little Liar’. What was that experience like, and what did he bring to the table?
stol_n: Kyle is a pro and knows exactly what he’s doing. He was a breeze to work with. He’s also a cool Canadian (everyone likes Canadians), and was able to elevate our song beyond what we could do ourselves. Anyone working in the pop-punk scene should definitely reach out to Kyle.
OSR: What do you hope people take from ‘Pretty Little Liar’, and what does it mean to you?
stol_n: That even the worst situations can inspire the best art.
OSR: ‘Pretty Little Liar’ leans, at least for me, to the 1990s/2000s pop-rock/pop-punk style. What inspired this sound, and can we expect more singles in this style?
stol_n: Yeah, we are really inspired by bands like Blink-182 & Sum 41, but we actually are more aligned to modern pop-punk artists like MGK, MOD SUN & girlfriends. We are planning to push the envelope a lot more with our sound as we go further; many of the songs that are coming out next will be quite different – so be ready for some surprises!
OSR: What does music mean to you?
stol_n: Basically everything.
OSR: If you were to speak to yourselves before creating and releasing ‘Pretty Little Liar’, what advice would you have for younger Dan and John?
stol_n: It’s OK to like pop!
OSR: What does the future hold for stol_n?
stol_n: Currently, we are just trying to cut through the noise! Get our name out there, and get our songs heard! We plan to release another single soon, and an EP next year. We are going to explore some other subgenres too, and expand our sound.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
stol_n: We’ve got no label backing, so we really rely on our fanbase to keep us going! A big THANK YOU to the amazing people who follow us and interact with us on socials. We really appreciate your support.
The official video for Pretty Little Liar is up on YouTube, so go and watch it now!
Many thanks to stol_n for speaking with us! Find out more about stol_n on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify.
