Rehash emerged from the indie rock scene in 2023 with their self-titled debut album “Rehash,” quickly gaining a following from their viral TikTok videos. The South Florida band began with vocalist Renzo Valdez and guitarist Sebastian Gamez, later joined by drummer Ethan Lopez and bassist Daseth Lopez ahead of their second album, “Mourning Star.” Their most recent release, “mock,” explores softer sounds while maintaining the raw and messy garage rock sound that first popularized them.
After their Oct. 29 show at Pie Shop in Washington, D.C., I interviewed the band about their new album, life on the road, their DIY sound and their most popular songs.
When it comes to making albums, Valdez said Rehash focuses more on putting together a strong set of sounds than creating a full concept.
“Our albums take shape as we make the songs,” Valdez told The Hoya. “What brings them together is the time period they were created in.”
Daseth Lopez said the band does not want to mimic any style or sound.
“People always ask us if we try to sound like any genre, but we just make music as is,” Daseth Lopez told The Hoya.
“mock” came together rather scrappily, but Ethan Lopez said that rawness and authenticity is what makes the album so good.
“Everything now has to be a click and very polished, but I think for some people it’s refreshing to see something that’s DIY,” Ethan Lopez said.
Despite their level of success, Rehash is remarkably young — Valdez is 19 and Ethan Lopez is only 17. Ethan Lopez said that despite their sudden rise in fame, at heart, they’re simply kids who’ve got the chance to do what they love.
“We’re just kids making music,” Ethan Lopez said.
The high quality of Rehash’s music is astonishing given how new they are to the scene, and it lends well to their authenticity.
Their 2024 breakout hit “Back to Strangers” was their first original to put them on the map, growing the following they’d gained from their covers. It features roaring grunge guitars, strained but emotional vocals and a surprisingly simple structure.
Ethan Lopez said he saw the song’s potential immediately.
“I was like, ‘Bro, this is the song. This is the song that’s gonna get us out there,’” Ethan Lopez said.
It was also Rehash’s first experience producing drums, which Ethan Lopez said resulted in the gritty sound that only helped the song in the long run.
“In the end, I think it adds a little bit of originality and personality to the song,” Ethan Lopez said.
However, “Back to Strangers” is a bit of an exception within the album. Where “Back to Strangers” is gritty, raw and rough around the edges, “Mourning Star” was a project in which Rehash sought to experiment — fresh off the heels of their debut album, Gamez said that they had more resources and band members at their disposal.
“It’s an album that had a lot of hunger in it,” Gamez told The Hoya. “The demos were good, I knew they had potential, I knew that we had to get it recorded until it sounded good.” Gamez added. “There’s a lot of wanting to be good so we can make it out the hood.”
Life on the road as an indie band isn’t easy, either. Gamez said that even though the band has a manager, many logistical aspects of touring are almost entirely on them.
“We have to sell merch ourselves, we have to drive ourselves, we have to book the hotels ourselves,” Gamez said.
Like their music, their touring experience is a very DIY endeavor, and one they get lots of enjoyment from. Valdez said it’s their listeners that always make touring an eye-opening and exciting experience.
“I like touring,” Valdez said. “It puts everything into perspective because we can see Spotify streams and that’s one thing, but to see people showing up to shows in a lot of different states – it makes it cool.”
Much in tune to the band’s spirit and passion for music, Ethan Lopez encouraged aspiring musicians to keep working at their craft and to never lose sight of their dreams.
“Just stay consistent. Don’t give up,” Ethan Lopez said. “There’s gonna be a lot of stuff that comes in your path, but you just gotta keep going.”
