There’s plenty of ’90s alternative rock and power pop running through the music of Ram Vela & the Easy Targets. You can hear echoes of Weezer, Fountains of Wayne and The Replacements, alongside the loud, melodic guitar attack of Sugar and Bob Mould. But on their new EP RX, those influences are only part of the story.

Built around the theme of prescription medication and mental health, RX finds Vela writing from a very personal place. Anxiety, depression, medication and therapy all enter the conversation; subjects that can still feel uncomfortable or even taboo to talk about openly. We spoke with Ram about putting those experiences into songs, keeping the recordings rough around the edges, his love for a great Power Pop chorus, and where the Easy Targets go from here.

RX has a really rough-around-the-edges sound that I really like. How did that become such an important part of the Easy Targets’ sound, and how do you balance that rawness with the catchy side of the songs?

That’s awesome you think the EP sounds a little rough-around-the-edges, because I am self-conscious of our recordings sounding TOO polished. While working with Matt Parmenter at Ice Cream Factory Studios, we took a live-band feel approach to tracking these tunes and overdubbing additional instruments later. Personally, I like incorporating additional guitar feedback in some spots to give songs some extra depth and hearing what sounds best/makes sense for each individual track. A song like “Alprazolamania” comes to mind (especially during the verses). Writing a catchy melody to an uptempo song or lyrics you can shout/sing-a-along to has always been important to me. Taking that songwriting philosophy(?) and combining it with what Dan, Nathan and Rachel (aka the band) bring and “Baby, you’ve got a stew going!” (RIP Carl Weathers)

RX tells a concept story about using prescription medication to treat mental health. Is there a personal story behind the EP, and if so, what made you feel that this was a story you needed to tell through music?

Yes, this EP is loosely based on my own personal experiences taking prescription drugs to treat my anxiety and depression. In 2022, I started Zoloft and it has really helped me navigate the stresses of day-to-day life ever since. While I’m grateful to have access to these types of medications, I know there are so many out there that don’t have that same privilege. I didn’t take all of the medications listed in the song titles, but know several friends who have, and thought it was important to tell these stories in a creative way to continue normalizing mental health.

“Buspirone” is one of my favorites on the EP. The staccato guitar and punk energy give it this incredibly catchy Power Pop feel. Did you realize while writing or recording it that you had something special with that song?

First off, thank you so much. Secondly, this was an extremely difficult song to write because 1.) it’s very personal to me and 2.) delicate subject matter. I remember it starting with that guitar riff and just building from there. During the recording of this song, I was worried that the more sections we added, the more it would potentially drag. I am thankful we didn’t cut anything, because it flows so well! The outro is the sentimental cherry on top leading to the automated phone message.

How did Ram Vela & the Easy Targets come about, and did you know from the beginning what kind of band you wanted it to be and what you wanted the music to sound like?

Yes, we definitely had an idea of what we wanted to sound like. I’ve been playing in bands in Austin for 20+ years and with Dan and Nathan for 10 now, but it took a while to realize what style of songs I was comfortable writing and performing. I love bands like Cheap Trick, Marshall Crenshaw and The Replacements but wanted to add some 90’s alt-rock madness to the mix (Weezer’s “Blue Album,” Fountains of Wayne, Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta”). I think our band is a solid representation of those styles of rock/power-pop. Also, I just love choruses you can sing-along to, dammit!

Now that RX is out, what does the future look like for Ram Vela & the Easy Targets? Are you already thinking about where you want to take the sound and the story next?

Writing new music! It’s funny that I shared a voice memo of a new song on Instagram stories today and somebody already messaged asking if this next album is gonna be about therapy. As someone who sees a therapist regularly, I’m definitely not opposed to it! As for the future of the band, I would like to continue making music and collaborating more as a group. It helps that we’re close friends, so rehearsing/creating new material comes naturally and isn’t a stressful process. But yea, the future is still terrifying. In the words of Garth Algar, “Live in the Now!”