Satellite Citi are no strangers to fantastical imagery, and as the rock duo prepares for an action-packed year of releasing music and comics, a passion for both the futuristic and the personal will be fully unleashed.

Never the type to rest on their laurels, married couple Anna Gevorkian and Shaunt Sulahian will be having a busy 2024 as Satellite Citi. Their plans include releasing two EPs, several issues of a comic, and hopefully planning some live shows. Sure, it’s a lot of work, but the band wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“What else are we going to do, watch TV all day? Like, we’ve gotta do something with our lives,” remarks lead guitarist Shaunt. Don’t expect boredom to set in any time soon.

Based in LA, Satellite Citi’s catchy melodies, soaring vocals, and lyrics that often grapple with mental health issues are juxtaposed with futuristic visuals- include the Spacewalkers they share the stage with. Donning all black and sleek astronaut helmets, the Spacewalkers are not only musicians for the live setting but also serve as a muse for the band’s ambitious comic book project. 

The upcoming comic Spacewalker will explore the origin story of the mysterious onstage characters. The development of the comic started about five years ago after the stage personas had already been established. One of the biggest benefits of comic storytelling is having the time to fully explore a back story that goes beyond the confines of a normal song structure. 

“It’s a cool way to dive deeper into a story that maybe a song can present and actually go in and explore characters in the story with the comic,” Anna explains. The comic will be an in-depth story of an alien that becomes responsible for rescuing multiple planets across galaxies.

The duo’s not diving into comics alone though, since Brazilian artist Magenta King and colorist Jason Wordie are also involved in the comic’s creation. Former DC editor and professor Jim Higgins has been like a mentor for the first time comic writers. The band spent three years honing their comic writing skills with the editor, and there has been a big benefit of broadening their creative horizons. 

Shaunt has taken the reigns as the main writer for the Spacewalker comic. He explained that when he’s stuck in a rut, creative writing will ”reinspire your kind of creative feel and that makes me want to back into music immediately cause then I’m inspired again creatively, so having multiple creative outlets definitely bounces back and inspires you for each outlet.” 

Each issue of the comic will coincide with a song from a new EP that the band plans to release in the second half of the year. The workload is intense, and as a couple working together, designating time solely for songwriting has become important after realizing that their personal life and music career were starting to overlap. 

“Sometimes there will be days where music is all we talk about for like 48 hours nonstop, and I’m like, ‘OK, we gotta stop, we gotta take a break,’” Shaunt admits. “I’m thinking too forward and Anna has to ground me everyday.” Anna’s mindset to live in the present has helped to ground them and take one step at a time. Mental health has been an important foundation for how Satellite Citi navigates their lives, and its presence is profoundly felt throughout Satellite Citi’s work. 

The recent single “Anxious Hearts” directly expresses the frustrations of anxiety that Anna has felt as she sings “anxiety always taking over me” during the opening of the song. The realization that being honest about her mental health in both life and her music could help her overcome her struggles was a big step in improving her wellbeing. “The more open you are about it, the more you like find your community- like support from people around you- and just it makes a stronger person,”  she says. Over the years, Anna began to interpret her lyrics differently years later after she wrote them. 

“It’s just cool how lyrics can do that, or they can mean different things to you at different points in your life,” Anna says.  “I don’t really like looking back and thinking ‘where was I when I wrote this song?,’ more like where am I now listening to it.” As both the drummer and singer, her drum patters are normally written around the lyrics and melodies. No matter how the songwriting starts, the intention is always to lead with a feeling. 

There’s an introspective aspect to the songwriting, but the band has also noticed how such personal admissions have connected with audiences. The band hopes that their heartfelt songs can help listeners feel like they’re not alone. “We’ve had people at shows crying while singing our lyrics, so just stuff like that is a big part of why we do what we do,” Anna says. Shaunt explains that one of his goals with their music is that “if people are struggling, I would want our music to make them feel proactive in seeking help.”

Anna explains that after discovering their music online, fans have expressed how a song has helped them during interactions at the shows. “Even if they don’t comment or put themselves out there online, I do think that constantly reaching out, posting, sharing your story online will help someone, even if they’re not vocal about it,” she says. 

The link between personal lyrics and sci-fi isn’t so far apart when the band explains their favorite sci-fi films are also incredibly emotional. Shaunt lists Arrival and Interstellar as two of his favorite sci-fi films, and Anna explains that they recently watched The Leftovers. Oftentimes their excitement from a show or movie can be conveyed through the music. 

In dimly lit hues of blue and red, the music video for “Anxious Hearts” explores the link between futurisic and personal elements. Director Rosie Geozalian explains that they “imagined a future “cerebral reality” experience that would be tailored to each person’s fears and anxieties. You go to the theatre and the cerebral reality glasses allow you to watch your own fears as a film — imagine exposure therapy as entertainment.” 

No matter if they’re inspired by aliens, technology, or struggles with anxiety, it’s ultimately the human element that inspires them the most.