Exposed Vocals Interview: Marcello Breaks Down His EP Whether the Storm

Blending elements of lo-fi, jazz, psychedelia, and indie into a cohesive, atmospheric sound, Marcello’s EP Whether the Storm is a compelling example of what happens when creative freedom meets intentional craftsmanship. Recorded, mixed, and mastered in a modest home studio, the project radiates with raw authenticity — offering listeners a glimpse into both the personal and sonic landscapes that shaped its creation. From stormy soundscapes to warm analog textures, the EP invites introspection without ever sacrificing its experimental edge.

whether the storm | marcello | terra-cotta

At Exposed Vocals, we love spotlighting artists who create on their own terms, and Marcello embodies the spirit of DIY artistry. In this interview, he shares the story behind Whether the Storm, talks gear, emotional process, and the value of embracing imperfection. From his roots in the Adelaide hills to his current home studio in Berlin, Marcello reflects on how music, like the weather, can’t always be predicted — but it can still be captured.

Exposed Vocals: Whether the Storm blends indie, lo-fi, jazz, and psychedelia. What inspired you to bring these elements together, and how do you think they define your sound?

Marcello:
i think it emerged naturally as some kind of combination of the types of music which i was listening to at the time and had listened to growing up. i guess these genres are a good description at least for this ep, although i have made a bunch of other music which spans some other genres too. but yeah i guess my roots for whatever reason do lie pretty strongly in lofi jazz indie psychedelia.

Exposed Vocals: You recorded, mixed, and mastered the EP yourself. How did working from a personal space influence the creative process, and did any limitations lead to unexpected innovations?

Marcello:
since i started making music as a teenager i’ve always had a little diy bedroom setup. it was about having full control, learning and minimising costs of the whole musical process. i think it was also partially about me trying to embody the musical mastermind thing which i admired in some other artists. when i first started producing songs many years ago i underestimated the complexities of recording mixing and mastering a lot. in a way i think that may have empowered me to really love the process of making songs. Whether the Storm was recorded in the winter of 2021 which is quite a while ago now. i think i have learned and changed a lot since then. still, i usually like to have my hands in as much as the process of making my music as possible, as long as i am still enjoying whatever part of the process that is. compared to now, when i made Whether the Storm i was far more limited in terms of what instruments and equipment i had available. i think this made me use a lot of creative experimental logic processing to compensate for this limitation. now it is very helpful for me that i have a strong foundation in logic, but recently i have embraced new opportunities and moved moreso in the direction of using analog hardware. this has in ways been a bit overwhelming and tangential, but overall an amazing big learning experience. i’ve had so much fun and found great inspiration in exploring different approaches to making sounds.

Exposed Vocals: Your use of nature sounds and loops creates a unique sonic atmosphere. Can you talk about how you incorporate these elements into your music and what they represent for you?

Marcello:
well i love nature a lot so it’s partially about my love for the australian bush and wildlife. i’ve always found storm sounds very comforting. i think when the weather outside is nasty it has a big cosy creative hermity influence on me. it makes me more inclined to stay at home and make some musics. i think channeling that feeling into the music maybe also works to encourage the listener to feel appropriately cosy and introspective for a weird indie listening experience. the decision to include these themes had emerged naturally in the process of crafting some songs. then when i formulated the idea for the ep concept/vibe it made sense to lean into this more, so i made some alterations to make winter forest soundscapes a recurring theme on the ep.

Exposed Vocals: The EP has a raw, intimate feel while maintaining a strong production quality. What was your approach to mixing and mastering to achieve this balance?

Marcello:
almost all of the musical skills i have learned have been self taught from experimenting. i like to think this has enabled me to develop a fairly original style. when i made this ep i trusted my ears a lot, and didn’t worry too much about how the sound design compared to popular/professional music, or like any other music really. i didn’t use reference tracks much at all at the time, now i think maybe i should have moreso. i did a lot of car speaker referencing because i knew those speakers quite well and since i was driving around a lot at the time it was a practical thing to do. mixing and mastering this project was a good learning experience for me. since then i think i have developed a lot more skills and different stylistic preferences.

Exposed Vocals: Terra-Cotta Records focuses on artists creating in personal spaces with limited equipment. What gear or techniques did you rely on most when making Whether the Storm?

Marcello:
i had a nice little diy home studio setup which i was sharing with my housemate at the time, we had a mackie onyx mixer/interface, a few preamps, some guitars and a cheap drum kit. most of the synths are software. i did a lot of random experimental weird plug-in processing in logic to add diversity. for these songs the process was largely just about recording whatever i felt like and building on it spontaneously without being too particular about pre-writing a structure or parts or having much of a plan.

Exposed Vocals: The name Whether the Storm suggests resilience or overcoming challenges. Is there a particular story or emotion that shaped the themes of this project?

Marcello:
the songs on the ep were initially just songs which i made individually over the winter months of 2021 in the adelaide hills. eventually i realised that they were all similar enough to be grouped, so i created an appropriate theme to unite them. whether is kind of referring to whether the storm, whatever that may be, will be weathered, or whether not… since all the songs were made in the winter time it felt appropriate in that way. it’s also related to my personal life of feeling something of a storm of indecision being at various crossroads in relation to whether i should choose to prioritise x or y — career/people/interests/location. i recall i considered calling it whether: the storm but in the end i thought i’d make it a bit more subtle.

Exposed Vocals: As a musician working in a DIY setting, how do you navigate the balance between creative freedom and the challenges of self-production?

Marcello:
it’s important for me to stay connected with the process of writing and making emotionally authentic songs. i have also learned to enjoy much of the process involved in learning and developing my knowledge in audio technology and production. but i’ve found it more valuable to accept and embrace imperfection in my work, alter my goals and ambitions based on a holistic view of my life, and open my standards/framework of musical appreciation/perception.

Exposed Vocals: If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Marcello:
hmmmm well lately i’ve been quite inspired by alex g, cindy lee and some music released by an artist called arrangements. but i think a big part of what i admire with these musics is that the songs seem very unique and diy and genuine. so maybe it’s moreso something about the process behind their music which i admire. probably it would actually be weird to collaborate with them. i don’t really know them so i don’t know how it would actually work. i think maybe i just want to collaborate with myself haha… or otherwise collaborating with a close friend who i feel a strong connection with musically and generally is great. or on a more electronic note lately i’ve been loving aoki takamasa and flume’s weird quirky mixtapes, so it could be cool to get some insight about their approaches and techniques to make their weird glitchy sounds which i really enjoy.

Exposed Vocals: Adelaide has a growing independent music scene. How has the local scene influenced your music, and how do you see Terra-Cotta Records fitting into that landscape?

Marcello:
i’ve seen a lot of very cool bands and musicians in adelaide over the years of growing up and living there. i grew up playing mainly bass in some bands and met many great friends through this live music community. since mid 2023 i’ve actually been living in berlin, so i’m a bit less connected from adelaidian stuff now. but hamish is still a close friend of mine, we have a lot of musical interests in common. from over here i love to see how he contributes to the adelaide music scene with terracotta and interim studios, and i love to see many of my other friends making great music over there! i think the community vibe and connectedness of the adelaide music scene is very special.

Exposed Vocals: Now that Whether the Storm is out, what’s next for you? Can we expect more releases or live performances in the near future?

Marcello:
well yeah whether the storm has been out for about three years now haha so it’s funny to answer these questions quite a long time after that whole thing. over the last few years i’ve actually put a lot of musical projects on the backburner. instead i’ve put a lot of energy into establishing a new lifestyle and nice recording studio in berlin. i’ve delved much deeper into the world of synthesizers and other fun gear, and now that i have set up a great musical environment i am super excited to make lots of music! i have a bunch of pretty much finished things which i’ve been sitting on for too long, including a 22 song album, an ep and some other singles. eventually that will all come out but i’m happy to take my time with putting the finishing touches on everything. i’m also working on some lofi solo cassette recordings, a food music project (eventually), some ambient sleep music and some other collaborative projects. recently i’ve had to reduce my self-imposed discipline with certain goals in order to maintain my connection with the process. now i feel like i am in a really good place creatively. i’ve actually very rarely done live performances of my own music, mainly i prefer to focus on recording. whilst i don’t really have plans for live things, i think at some point it’s quite likely i might want to put some more energy into playing live shows. we’ll see.