Sam Marquez is a busy young man - playing guitar and singing for pop rock act, One Click Straight, producing shows for SwaveSound Events, and most recently, making music as solo project, Quiet Quarrel. 

Bandwagon speaks with Marquez about his new side project, how he separates it from his band, and plans for his solo outing. 

Quiet Quarrel is...

...an Indie Pop, Alternative Ambient side project that started out with just jamming out a heavily reverberated, chorus toned up guitar by myself. As the music inspired ideas and emotions fuelled the music, the concept and the idea of Quiet Quarrel was brought into existence. 

Quiet Quarrel are ideas, emotions, questions, fears and bliss expressed in melodic guitar poetry and vague verses.

What sets Quiet Quarrel apart from your other musical projects?

Musically speaking, it differs a lot in musicality, genre and style. Quiet Quarrel has more of a melodic, soft, haunting approach to the guitars compared to my usual dance/ aggressive, indie pop rock characteristics for my band One Click Straight.

I can’t pinpoint a specific artist or musician I generated influence over for this EP to be honest. I guess life’s ambiguous ups and downs are enough influence for me to create this music.

Lyrically, this wasn’t like anything I’ve done before. Not everyone will understand it at first but these Quiet Quarrel Songs are concepts. These songs are ideas and metaphoric personifications of human emotions, yearnings and fears.

There wasn’t much thought that came in during the production and songwriting process of the EP. Quiet Quarrel was done without any strict direction or musical ideology that could end up restricting the characteristics of the music. It is a project where I completely poured out what I felt was artistically right without any pressure from musical expectations of the people around me and even myself. It’s special to me because its a raw representation of this side of my artistry in a way.

What's next for Quiet Quarrel after this EP? Do you have plans of performing your songs live?

Not at the moment, because I’m busy with One Click Straight. I never really imagined myself playing these songs live but given the opportunity to do so, I don’t see why not.

No specific plans for Quiet Quarrel yet. Maybe a few new singles soon when it feels right. 

"...it was in time. She wasn't..."

This song is about time. Time was personified in this song. It is about not knowing what or why time works the way it works. Its about feeling of the presence and pressure of time upon us yet understanding nothing about it. 

"...I was young. You stayed..."

This song is about the past, childhood and nostalgia. It is written in an opposite point of view where the past longs for us rather than us longing for it because we are the ones that left the past behind. Inspired by the inescapable feeling of the little sadness that comes along everytime we reminisce and look back, this song is kind of like a sad letter from the past that haunts us everytime we read it.

"...I'm tired. I'm sorry. I tried..."

This song is about how depression can creep in without warning. It’s about a victim who doesn’t long for complete freedom from depression anymore but rather accepts it and instead, begs for just a temporary escape from it to feel life’s bliss for the last time before he falls into his new accepted reality.

track one "quiet"

I knew this song was going to be the first track for the EP. I enjoyed writing and producing this track. The bouncing delays are my personal favourite.

track two "quiet"

This track is special to me. This was the first track I’ver written for Quiet Quarrel. The intro riff Inspired the whole project

track three "quiet"

Personally my favorite track. It sounds like a haunting ballad with melancholy in every note and chord.