In the heart of Southern California’s music scene, a fresh voice is making waves. Margarita Mantis, barely out of her teens, is pushing the boundaries of rock music with a concept she calls Binaural Rock.
Mantis’s journey in music began, as it does for many aspiring artists, in her bedroom. In 2021, at just 16, she started uploading acoustic demos to YouTube. But unlike many teenage dreamers, Mantis’s hobby quickly blossomed into something more.
Fast forward to August 2022, and Mantis found herself in a professional recording studio, laying down tracks for her debut single, “I Can Hear the Flowers Laugh.” Released that October, the single marked a turning point in her fledgling career.
Since then, Mantis has been on a creative tear. Three more singles followed in quick succession, along with a six-track EP aptly titled “Ocean of Life.” Her most recent offering? “Jejune” – a 51-minute 15-track album that dives deep into the Binaural Rock concept.
But what exactly is Binaural Rock? It’s here that Mantis’s innovation truly shines. She describes it as a marriage of melodic rock and punk with cutting-edge spatial audio techniques. The result? A three-dimensional soundscape that seems to swirl around the listener, instruments dancing through space.
The secret sauce, according to Mantis, is what she calls the “hybrid method.” Some elements of the music remain anchored in traditional stereo, while others roam freely through the sonic landscape. It’s this interplay that gives Binaural Rock its distinctive, atmospheric quality.
Perhaps most impressive is Mantis’s DIY approach. In an industry often dominated by teams of specialists, she’s a one-woman show – writing, performing, producing, and even engineering the complex binaural mixes herself. It’s a level of control that many artists twice her age would envy.
Lyrically, Mantis doesn’t shy away from heavy topics. Her songs often grapple with societal issues and personal struggles. “It is my civil duty,” she asserts, “to uplift, educate and aid my community, and henceforth the world, in being better, stronger, and more mindful through my songs.” It’s a lofty goal for such a young artist, but one she pursues with evident passion.
When it comes to influences, Mantis takes an almost contrarian stance. While acknowledging inspiration from various artists, she firmly believes that true art should spring from personal experience rather than imitation. It’s a philosophy that seems to be serving her well.
Looking to the future, Mantis shows no signs of slowing down. She’s branching out into video production, leveraging her editing skills to create visual content to accompany her music. At the same time, she’s continuing to push her musical boundaries, even revisiting and remixing older tracks in her signature Binaural Rock style.
For those interested in Mantis’s unique sound, her music is widely available online. Popular tracks like “I Can Hear The Flowers Laugh” and “Forevermore” can be found on Spotify, while her Instagram and YouTube channels offer a more personal glimpse into her life and creative process.
As Margarita Mantis continues to refine her Binaural Rock style, she stands as a testament to the ongoing evolution of new artists hitting the scene. With her blend of technical innovation and thoughtful lyricism, she’s certainly an artist to keep an eye (and an ear) on. As new singles loom on the horizon, one thing’s for sure – Mantis’s journey is far from over. It may, in fact, be just beginning.
