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Photo by Alex Berger

Indie rock/Americana duo Marfa, made up of Bryce Menchaca and Kellen Wall, is steadily building both a catalog and a nationwide fan base since their 2025 debut.

The rising pair formed their bond in a college classroom during COVID. What started as friendship and casual jam sessions between Menchaca and Wall quickly grew into something more serious.

“With the friendship that we grew and the jamming and stuff, eventually we were like, we need to be a band and we need to go all out basically and just really enjoy it,” band member Kellen Wall said.

That friendship has since translated into more than 200,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and a growing catalog of 10 songs that linger in fans’ heads long after the music stops. Much of their inspiration for writing memorable hooks comes from The Beatles’ influence on the duo.

“Back in the day, Paul and John said that if they couldn't remember a song … then it probably wasn't a good song. Then they said the catchier the hook, the more memorable it is for everybody. So something like just the sound, and then the title of the song, it's not formulaic, but it still makes it very catchy,” Bryce Menchaca said.

From lectures in college auditoriums to headlining shows across the country, Marfa’s rise has been steady. One milestone moment came during their first major hometown headline show.

“We played our first major headline show here in town. We sold out a local theater here, and we headlined it and we started playing Daisy,” Bryce said. “We knew that was a big song, [but] we didn't know we could step away from the mic and be like, you sing it. Then we'd be like, oh wow, they know the song. It's really flattering. It's nice to know that we've made something that people really like.”

A main factor in the duo’s rise is their commitment to storytelling and crafting songs that transport listeners to a vivid, specific place.

“We wanted that same kind of space to be just like an escape for people, almost like you're going on a road trip and not worrying about the reality of everyday life, work and whatever it might be,” Wall recalls.

Whether it’s their hit single “Daisy” or their debut release “66,” each track is designed to evoke a setting that feels both familiar and cinematic.

“Our song Daisy, definitely, we want it to feel like you're driving in the West or like in the desert … So there's definitely like ‘66’ that kind of geographically even paints like a route for a story …. I think the sound that we can curate, it's usually almost always directly pointed to an aesthetic or a place or an image in your head,” Menchaca said.

For Marfa, a song they’re proud of starts with a catchy melody, a strong sense of location, and harmonies that elevate the story.

“What we can try to do to like the listener is bring that person, whether it's back in time or transporting them to a certain time in their life or a certain place in the world. Every location has a sound to it, and our job is to find those,” Bryce says.

In the studio, that process unfolds organically. The duo bounce ideas back and forth, building songs through collaboration and compromise.

“We just kind of focus on the lyrics and feed off each other and kind of spit out ideas. It's almost like an endless compromise …” Kellen explains.

With aspirations of playing major venues like Madison Square Garden and festivals such as Lollapalooza, the duo knows this is just the beginning of a promising career.

“The goal is to get across the world, but first you got to get the car to start. We just got the car to start, and there's a lot of relief and being like, all right, we can just hit the gas pedal now and just really go for it. Because a lot of people are lucky to even turn the car on, and we were able to get that part done … we can't take it for granted,” Bryce expressed.

Even as they find themselves performing in arenas, the pair remain grounded in the friendship that started it all.

“Just last week we were playing in an arena in Texas, and I looked on my left and I'm like, we just met in class one day. Like, how'd this happen? Look at the mess we made. Yeah, it's crazy. Like just how, and I think the both of us are really grateful that we've built this band around a friendship, really,” they remembered.

Whether it is in the studio or on the stage, both Kellen and Bryce are living out their childhood dreams.

“Ever since we've been kids, we've been wanting to do music basically forever. I think it's so much of just being … so grateful,” Kellen said.

From singles that are sure to get stuck in your head to captivating music videos giving listeners a deeper dive into the song and setting, Marfa has all the ingredients for a career you don’t want to miss.

Click here for dates to see Marfa live and stream the duo’s newest single “American Blues,” out now on all streaming platforms.