As a longtime fan of Palisades, I was immediately curious when news of NOCTARA — a new project fronted by Brandon Elgar — began circulating online. His voice and authenticity has always stood out to me so I had to dive in and find out more.
Made up of Brandon Elgar, Landon Siebens, and Brady Mueller, NOCTARA is a Nashville-based metal band carving out a new sound entirely on their own terms, drawing years of experience across past projects.
Ahead of NOCTARA's introduction to the world, "7 SECOND HOLD," I had the honor of catching up with Brandon, Landon, and Brady to talk about the origins of the band, the meaning behind the track, and the vision driving this new era.
MSM: What does the name NOCTARA personally mean to you?
BRANDON: I know that it's Latin for “of the night,” but it wasn't me that came up with it. One of these two definitely found it.
LANDON: Yeah. I mean, there definitely were a lot of trials and tribulations with finding a band name, which is just kind of how it goes. But yeah, I mean, at some point I think we just kind of landed on that and it just felt like it was- I couldn't even tell you how we came up with it. We had one day where we were just tossing so much around and then out of nowhere.
BRANDON: There were so many names.
BRADY: And then the group chat, I checked my phone. I had 62 messages and it was all band names and different things. And so out of those, I think at one point I was trying to ... I even went so far as to go to ChatGPT just to see what was going on, and that was horrible so I got really discouraged. And then I think it was Landon that threw it out in the group chat.
And how does the name represent you guys? Do you have more of a darker sound, or is it more because of darker topics?
BRANDON: Yeah, I would definitely say that we have a darker type of tone since it does mean 'of the night.' I think it just represents a lot of what we talk about, though — just dark traumas, past experiences, obviously, and the thoughts that go wrong in our head. and just expressing that.
So, on that note, I was going to mention that. Brandon, you've been very open and transparent about mental health in the past. And I think that's kind of gained you the fans that are going to follow you anywhere you go. What do you want them to take away from the new music that you're about to introduce to the world?
BRANDON: For me personally, I kind of let go of all of that past stuff that happened. I definitely worked through it, and have been in full recovery since then. My mind is a lot clearer. I dropped a lot of things that were toxic in my life, whether that be substances, like alcohol and stuff like that. It definitely took a hold on me for a long time. And I think it was time to finally just let go of that, all those bridges that were burned with other people that they just ... It was just really time for me to move on and just get my life on track and get things in order. Because I feel like when I left Palisades, I didn't have anything at the time. I didn't have a job. I didn't have money. I didn't have a house to live in. My now wife and I didn't have a place to call home or anything either, and she had just moved here from Georgia, so I had to really focus and dial down on my life and get everything in order. Now I have all of those things and I'm just in a better head space now. And I definitely just want people to take away from it that there's always a way through all of that darkness, and it's possible to get through it. And yeah, I think this music really reflects on that, just powering through all those struggles.
That's great to hear that you're doing so well! I love to hear that. So, how did you guys come together? Did you know each other previously and this kind of sparked?
LANDON: I moved up to Nashville in August 2024. So I'd been here for probably three or four months and started getting my circles of new friends. I grew up in Central Florida, around Orlando, but I moved up here just to fully pursue music. And I had some little friends here and there. One of our mutual friends and I played a show together, so then me and Brady met first and things took a couple different directions, and then we ended up just writing. So we're just like, screw it. Let's just go all in on something. So we were writing probably three or four months, and then I got to a place where we kind of need to figure out how to make this a thing. It felt special and it felt like something that needed to be out there. So we found Brandon and then kind of the rest of history, I would say.
Yeah. So he was just the missing piece to the puzzle?
LANDON: Yeah.
BRADY: Yeah, neither one of us sing, and I can't write a melody to save my freaking life. And so yeah, we put out a Facebook post and Brandon responded to it and then when we met him, it was just the perfect vibe. I remember Landon sent him one of the tracks that we had to a certain point where it could have vocals written on it. And just with the bare bones crapass song that we sent him, within a day, he flipped around such a sick melody and verse structure. He completely ripped the song apart and restructured it too and sent us it all within a day. And I was just like, wow, with how it sounds, what he wrote that very first time made this record, made the record. So that's what's crazy to me is from the jump, he has significantly improved every aspect of the music. His voice compliments without him having to try. I get Demo Brain, for example, so one thing that Brandon writes, I'll fall in love with, and then he'll change it later and be like, "Hey, this is more me." And at first I have to listen to that over and over because I have demo brain. I'm like, "I'm in love with the first thing you sent. Why are you changing it up on me? " But he's always been able to be free in writing and expressing himself fully in this project because that's what this is all about at the end of the day is us doing what we actually have always wanted to do musically, but couldn't do in the other project we were involved with previously. So it's more just our beautiful baby passion outlet for all three of us. So yeah, he compliments the brand and the band insanely in so many ways. Behind the scenes, no one would ever know. So that's my two cents on my boyfrand.
BRANDON: Wow.
He's a man of many talents. So, Brandon, fans are obviously familiar with your history in Palisades. Would you say that you're taking lessons that you've learned through that era or are you kind of approaching this with a completely fresh mindset?
BRANDON: Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely taking some of my past experiences from Palisades into this. I wouldn't say as far as habits I'm bringing into this band. I feel like everything I'm bringing to the table is a lot more fresh. And it's just a matter of just experience of what I've gone through when it comes to maybe, for example, just social medias and stuff like that, or just maybe friends I've made along the way, just having them to guide us and mentor us. But yeah, I mean, honestly, I think it's always going to be the same outcome. I feel like for every band is just be kind to everybody no matter who you're working with. And that's always been the main goal, I feel like at the end of the day, just write great music and have fun. But yeah, I would say I'm definitely changing up a lot of things that I've done differently, I think as well since Palisades. I think I definitely have a different singing style. I think it's definitely not going to be as aggressive and very aggressive like how the old Palisades stuff used to be. I'm definitely going back to my roots as far as having more of an R&B type take on it and a more pop sound. I'm really diving back into everything I listened to when I was growing up, like NSYNC, NSYNC, Nelly, Nickelback, just like I'm really diving into that stuff vocally.
BRADY: He moves like NSYNC. Wait until you all see his video. He’s got the mood. He's a saucy boy.
"7 SECOND HOLD" is the debut single. What can you share about the creation process and meaning of this track?
BRANDON: I will say the dudes came to me with the instrumental first. They had it completely down when they sent it to me — that is all them, they are the masters of that instrumental. The term 'seven second hold' comes from a breathing exercise for anxiety. And I remember I was just reading through something and that technique popped up and I thought that just that phrase was really, really cool, and I always wanted to use that somehow. And when they sent me that song, I think that's finally what clicked for me. And yeah, it's essentially just a breathing technique for anxiety. And the song is just, again, going through past traumas, going through hardships, and being able to push through it and find light at the end of the tunnel. It's a pretty aggressive song. I think it's probably our heaviest song, too. Everything else is probably pretty chill, but that's probably our heaviest song for sure.
Was there anything about it that you were like, "This is what we should lead with?" Is it because it was heavier?
BRANDON: Yeah, I think I would definitely say the song itself was the perfect choice I think for a debut because we definitely wanted something that would really hook people in. I think the song definitely has a lot of hooks as far as tones, breakdowns, singing, the guitar work, the drum work ... it's just all of it is a hook in its own way. And that's what I really, really love about it. And yeah, it just kind of smacks you in the face, too. It's a good one.
BRADY: I feel like it shows a pretty well-rounded version of Noctara and our sound in an envelope for this EP that's coming out. And we tossed around throwing other ones in there, but this one ultimately, after sitting on it for months, because we're not good decision makers as a group, we got to really think about stuff for a long time. So it was probably two months of us saying, from the first time we said, "What's the single going to be? " Until we finally made a decision, I'd say it was probably two months. And it's just kind of like how our band name came. It was within an hour. It was just like, "Yep, we thought about it. This is good. It's perfect. I don't even know why it took us so long to get it. " It was nice.
LANDON: "7 SECOND HOLD," I think in particular, was just the one that we always came back to. It was one of the first ones we did, one of the first three. And every time, I know the second Brandon sent the vocal for it. It was a super long day. I was in a bunch of different sessions and I came home and it was just this whole long day. And I'm like, all right, let's just put this on through the speakers. And I just cranked it up. And the second the vocal came through, I was hanging out with my girlfriend and I was jumping all over my room. I was just like, "He did it. This is the one." Just over the moon. And it was like, I think definitely as a moment for the band and for me personally, just being like, I'm just proud of what we've already done and where we're going to go from here and just very grateful for my guys. And yeah, just I would say when anything else, that was just kind of the first time where I was like, "I really see this. " I see some trajectory.
Since your handle is .fm, if NOCTARA were a radio station, what are some other bands that you would play on it?
BRADY: So, I really like a band that Brandon actually introduced me to recently, and I just feel like it'd be a cool one to have on a bill if we played a show with them or just to be on the same radio station, whatever. It’s a band called vianovo. They are pretty thick and poppy, but it's like weird, and they use really cool innovative tones. I don't know, they’re just a very intriguing band for me, so I still haven't filled my cup on them yet.
BRANDON: I forgot about that band. Yeah, I haven't listened to them in a while, but no, that band's awesome. My best man for my wedding, he put me onto vianovo. They're really cool. So sick. Yeah, I'd probably ... Oh, man.
LANDON: I think between the two of us, Brandon, it would be kind of the world's most scattered rotation ever.
BRANDON: For real.
LANDON: He’d be like, "All right, here's the heaviest breakdown you've ever heard in your life." And then it's like Justin Bieber.
BRANDON: Yeah, literally. I go from Bieber to Cradle of Filth really, really quick. But honestly, I'd probably throw a Nickelback song in there. I'm just saying, that's kind of how I roll. I love the oldies, I love the classics.
BRADY: There's some ERRA, some Steppenwolf, some Phil Collins, and then Beyonce.
LANDON: Some Mk.gee, some Justin Biebs, some Dijon.
BRADY: But also Daniel Caesar and Frank Ocean.
That's important, I think. Being able to pull something from any genre.
BRADY: I mean, there's some stuff in our music that doesn't really fit your standard box of being metal or box of being just R&B or box of being a poppy rock band. We are so scattered with what we listen to on just a daily basis. We're not joking when we say it'll be like Nickelback, Beyonce, and then Logic or J. Cole. And then also Suicide Silence right after that. So yeah, I think our music represents that as well. It's just very interesting.
And if you had to narrow it down to say that you are what genre, what would you say?
BRANDON: Metal with pop vocals. That's what I tell everyone.
MSM: With influences from all over.
BRADY: Melting pot metal.
BRANDON: Like nostalgia pop metal.
All right, and is there anything else you want people to know?
BRADY: The first single is “SEVEN SECOND HOLD,” and that’s dropping April 16th. So go and pre-save that. Watch the video, by Sean, and check him out at seanisinspired on all platforms. He is sick and very talented and just a great human to work with as well. He made us feel really comfortable. And he also thinks since we were so fun to work with, maybe the video might be his best work. So, he's just a good dude to have around. And yeah, get the pre-save. It's in our bio on Instagram and all of our platforms as well at Noctara.fm
*this interview has been edited for length and clarity
