Ears Wide Open: Mega Low

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Mega Low

The guys in Costa Mesa quartet Mega Low lead a strange double life.

Spencer Askin, Trevin Eck, Spencer Wiles and Stefan Macarewich pay some bills by performing in the guise of SEGA Genecide, an increasingly popular covers band playing mainly ’90s hits. They’ve performed at clubs and at private parties for A-list stars — at one of those, for Biz Markie, Dennis Rodman joined them onstage for an impromptu set of Sublime songs.

And, as Mega Low, they make original music, which has been described as “if Wings was playing a Tame Impala song to Billy Joel wearing a Big Thief T-shirt.” Although, says Askin: “We don’t really listen to Tame Impala, but we do love Wings and Billy Joel.”

They also have a tangential connection to Snoop Dogg — they lease his old studio. “We still get his mail, and every once in a while, someone in the studio will open it on accident,” Askin says. “People have sent freeze-dried weed, he gets invited to a lot of weddings, and there are rappers writing to him from different correctional facilities. All good things.”

Anyway, the new Mega Low single, “Reminders,” arrived this week, an arena-ready five minutes of slow-building drama. Queen, as if done by ’90s indie-rockers.

With the song comes a humorous video, directed by David M. Helman (The Weeknd, Khalid, Glass Animals, Skrillex, Gucci Mane and more). It stars Thomas Ian Nicholas as the band’s studio producer, a seemingly disinterested fellow going through the motions at the console until, just in time for the rippin’ guitar solo, he finds some “inspiration.”

||| Watch: The video for “Reminders”

||| Also: Stream the song here

||| Live: SEGA Genecide plays ’90s Night at the Wayfarer in Costa Mesa on Friday. Tickets. Mega Low plays a free show on Monday, Nov. 25, at the Wayfarer, along with Kilo Bravo and Lisa Mangouras. Info.