When I started Totally Wired Magazine in 2020 with friends Liam Lynch and Aimee Clarke (and later developed with Kylie Warrix), it began as nothing more than a fanzine and an excuse for us, inexperienced writers, to babble about the music we loved to whomever out there may be listening. Five years on, I can’t imagine life today without having been a part of it. Some of the most enduring friendships were formed, and even a romance was born from the people around the world who got in touch and said that they, too, were willing to give their time and enthusiasm to promote their favourite bands.
The website came to a natural end when its regular contributors went on to do bigger and better things. We decided to leave it up as a time capsule in the belief that music once shared could be rediscovered forever. I, for one, have many fond memories of the videos we made and the conversations had with many bands who were active at the time. Some of these bands are still around today, and some have become new creatures entirely.
In 2020, we published an article about the band Montoya. At the time, they were a group whose music was constantly on my yearly Spotify Wrapped. Whose EP I knew inside out, but who, like us, had moved on to their next venture. I was reminded of the impact our site had made when the band contacted me to announce that nearly ten years on from their last release, our article had brought them back together to record a long-awaited follow-up.
Forever Ago is the new EP from Montoya, a Paris-based band whose luminous sound is matched only by their visual charm. Their first EP inspired a longing for a time, a place, and friendships from another life lived. With their follow-up record and the making-of film Making Of Souvenirs, Montoya takes that sense of tender nostalgia even further, turning it into something almost tangible.
At the beginning of our magazine, I could never have hoped it would grow this far and touch so many people across the world. I want to say a big thank you to all the incredible people who have contributed across the years to promote independent music, and to Montoya (Cécilia Bonnet, Tom Shemesh and band) for sharing so much love and for fulfilling our belief that great music never dies.
