The sense of community that the North East music scene promotes has allowed Melanie to evolve her sound, and she's been a mainstay on local gig line-ups for a few years now. Though she came from an even smaller town where there is "zero music industry," Newcastle still feels pretty isolated compared to the music scene in the rest of the country.

"I still feel like being a Northern artist is harder, and though we're slowly getting more eyes on the North East, there's still a long way to go, but I'm extremely grateful to all the people I've met who are so passionate about growing the scene and helping bands and artists to get their music heard. I love how supportive everyone is - people have each other's backs. It's why I've stayed here: I felt like I was part of a community. I didn't start making music to compete with my peers, I want to be going to my pal's gigs and being inspired by them and in awe of them."

It's vital to the authenticity of Melanie's sound, and it becomes most apparent when watching the interaction between her and her band members, drummer Adam Robson and multi-instrumentalist Jon Evans, when they play live. Live performances play out like a raucous group therapy session, messy and angsty but gloriously uplifting and fun at the same time, and it couldn't be achieved without the trust between them. It may sound trite, but they genuinely look like they're having the best time ever together.

"They're my best friends in the whole world, I have so much respect and admiration for them, and it's actually part of the reason I've worked so hard to release this album, because I want people to see how incredible they are. I find it funny when people say we look like the happiest band in the world on stage, because we're all extremely depressed, but when we're together on stage, that's our happy place where we most feel like ourselves."

The family dynamic really kicked in when they all decamped to a cottage in rural Wales to record the album together, and disaster very nearly struck, with scrappy determination pulling them all through. A self-described "countryside bumpkin," Melanie decided they needed somewhere they had absolutely no connection to in the middle of nowhere to get fully immersed in the recording sessions. No sooner had they got to their destination than a huge storm began, and the power kept going out.

"The only place the power was staying on was this tiny little cabin at the bottom of the hill down from where we were staying, it was genuinely about 5 metres long and 2 metres wide. We squeezed all our gear into this cabin - we were eating food off the floor because there was just no space! It started off extremely chaotic and stressful, but we knew we had to do what we could to make the album happen.

"People are surprised when I say that we didn't record in a studio, just a teeny tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere, but we just wanted to capture the essence of the music and have it be a little rough around the edges. Polished doesn't match my vibe!"

The album title, 'Somebody Help Me, I'm Being Spontaneous!' comes from Melanie's favourite film, The Truman Show, and refers to the fact that the album almost accidentally came about without any prior plans to create an album. "I was coming out of a very difficult struggle with my mental health, just spontaneously writing and demoing songs. I had to keep going with the flow and just let the songs exist in the moment, until one day I thought, 'Oh shit, I think I've got an album!'"

Accidentally discovering she had an album is very typically Melanie Baker. She's warm and witty and relatable, directing her anxiety and confusion into euphoric, grungy alt-rock with choruses meant to be screamed back by the crowd. There's a coming-of-age feel to the album, like we're on a journey of self-discovery with Melanie as she explores her own queer identity, tries to make sense of her depression and reclaims her own joy.

"When I was accidentally writing this album that I didn't realise I was writing, I'd been taking medication and was suddenly learning to be silly again and let go a little bit. I was experiencing joy again, and I was so excited about that. I know there's a lot of self-deprecation and I joke about my anxiety and depression, but I want to show that you're allowed to express the sillier, less serious side of yourself - it's a multi-faceted situation.

"We're constantly numbing ourselves and are made to feel scared to show emotion, whether good or bad, so I just want this record to make someone feel something. Whether it makes them want to dance or cry or inspires them, or all of the above. Any form of emotion is fine!"

Taken from the May 2026 issue of Dork. Melanie Baker's album 'Somebody Help Me, I'm Being Spontaneous!' is out now.