Prize Collect’s debut album is characterized as “Fresh Bedroom Jangle Pop.” In an interview with SweetSweetMusicblog, Marzio Scholten, the mastermind behind the project, shares insights into the creation process of nine beautifully layered, highly musical, and subtly subdued guitar tracks.

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You can find ‘Far From Everything’ showcased on the Dutch Guitar Pop Spotify Playlist.

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You’ve crafted an exquisite solid record. Could you share some insights into the journey of creating such a cohesive debut?

Well, after having released the Opera Alaska debut album (the indie band which I lead together with Marien Dorleijn) in 2020, we soon finished writing and recording for our second release. (This album has yet to be released.) For Opera Alaska, we always write together, and since we finished writing for the record, I started writing songs for myself at home. I’ve always written a lot of music for my instrumental solo projects, but all of a sudden, I felt very inspired to write “real songs” with lyrics. This was in the beginning of 2022. All of a sudden, it felt like I had an enormous amount of songs in my head that needed to be made. Without a real purpose, I started demoing them in my home studio and started singing myself. The demos turned out alright, and I started getting some very enthusiastic reactions. This motivated me to keep going on, up to a point that I said to myself: this could actually be a record! And I guess the rest is history now.

Once the record is out and accolades start pouring in, what initial reactions do you anticipate will resonate with you the most over time?

It was pretty scary to put this record out. I have put out quite a few records already, but this really felt like a new starting point, my debut as a singer, and my debut as an indie band leader. I know I can write songs, but how will people respond to this…? But as soon as I shared the music with others, I received nothing but positive vibes, from professionals as well as fans. It gives me encouragement and confirmation that I’m onto something here.

The resurgence of Dutch guitar pop thrives with acts like Elephant, Moss, Johan, The Maureens, and Alamo Race Track producing stunning music. Do you see yourself fitting into this scene both sonically and artistically?

Those are some pretty amazing bands you’re mentioning there. Bands with great track records that go far beyond what I’ve done with Prize Collect, of course. So, I can’t compare myself to those groups, but of course, some of these bands are of great inspiration. And of course, I’d like to be a part of this scene with Prize Collect. But that’s something that takes time and really is not for me to decide. I hope I can reach fans that like those bands, and that way it will come naturally, I suppose. Or not. Haha.

Success is subjective for every artist. For you, when does this record truly feel like a triumph?

This record is a success when I can reach people and move them with this music. I want people to feel happy and energized after listening to this music. So as long as people are listening to the music, it’s a success, as far as I’m concerned.

I’ve noticed the record is intricately layered and subtly refined, revealing new nuances with each listen. Was this intentional?

Everything that’s on the record is intentional or meant to be, I guess. I really wanted to make a layered guitar record, with guitar hooks and melodies. The recording process for these songs was really spontaneous. I just grabbed my guitar and started playing a part that I heard in my head. Then after that part was recorded, I hit record again and filled in the gaps with other parts. So I recorded quite a lot of guitar parts, much more than you hear on the record, actually. During the mixing process, I really started deleting some parts and filtering stuff out, until it got to a point where it felt rich, but not too overwhelming. But hey, in the end, I’m a guitarist… there’s no such thing as too much guitar.