Exclusive Interview with The Hospital

Words by Marios Stamos

The Hospital is the musical project of Argentinian-Australian artist Marcelo de la Vega. Blending pop, shoegaze, and modern new wave, it’s a place they aim to build a safe space for people to feel like themselves.

Marcelo grew up surrounded by creativity. From poetry and film to photography and music. After spending his early career recording in New York and LA, he found his creative home in London. Now based in Soho, he writes, records, and edits all of The Hospital’s music and visuals, drawing inspiration from the area’s vibrant cultural history and creative energy. With a background in music, fashion, and film, Marcelo brings a cinematic eye to the project, making The Hospital as much about visuals as sound.

The Hospital is now set for a year of regular releases focused on momentum, connection, and community.

After their debut EP ‘Trying to Fall Asleep’ earned over 150,000 streams globally, The Hospital are now working on their follow-up with producer Pete Hutchings (Royal Blood, Foals, Gang of Youths). Marcelo describes the sound as “musically hopeful, lyrically devastating,” shaped by a deeply personal writing process. At the heart of this project and The Hospital as a whole is the belief that people and connection mean everything. It runs through the themes he explores, the stories he tells, and the way he presents both himself and the work.

“I really overanalysed what I’d been through to figure out what I actually needed to say,” he explains. “Coming to terms with the last few years wasn’t always straightforward ― and looking back, I realised I hadn’t always been seeing things clearly.”

With a year of regular releases ahead and a new song, ‘Decomposing’, out, we caught up with The Hospital to take a stroll through their proverbial corridors. 

How did you come up with the name ‘The Hospital’?

I’d always made music under my given name, ‘Marcelo de la Vega’, but I got to a point where I felt creatively restricted as a solo artist. I wanted to lean into certain branding, subcultures and aesthetics that I felt didn’t align with what I had previously done. At the time, I’d recorded a new EP which was going to be for ‘Marcelo de la Vega’, but what I had made felt bigger than me. It felt like a new beginning. This is the EP that later became ‘Trying To Fall Asleep’. I was at a bar with my partner, and I was telling her about how I wanted to start a new project… She asked me what I would call it, and I said: “I have no idea.” As we were leaving the bar, I noticed a painting on the wall that had a poem written on it, it said: “If you like, you can just snog me and then drop me off at the hospital”. There was something about ‘The Hospital’ that really stuck out to me… When we got outside, an ambulance with its blues on roared past us, and I said, “I’m going to be called The Hospital”.

I can’t get the ‘Trying to Fall Asleep’ cover art out of my head. There’s something claustrophobic about it. At first glance, it’s a house, but with the figure inside, it feels more like a cage. And I don’t know if I’m reading too much into it. Would you mind telling us more about it?

In 2024, I was really struggling with insomnia… It basically consumed that whole year for me. It was so mentally draining that I thought the only way to get through this was to channel it into my art. I drew that drawing to explain to a friend who had never suffered from anything like sleep deprivation how I felt at the time. It ended up reflecting the music so well that it became the cover, and the name for it became ‘Trying To Fall Asleep’.

You signed your first record deal when you were 17 years old. How was that period of your life? Are there things that you wish you could change and how did they shape the way you navigate your career now?

I wouldn’t change a thing. When I signed my deal to Atlantic, I got to drop out of high school, tour Australia 20+ times over and spend months at a time writing and recording in LA and New York. I was living my childhood fantasy. It taught me everything I needed to know to be able to do what I’m doing now. I also love where I’m at in my life now, and every step along the way got me here. To quote ‘We’re The Millers’ “No regrets”.  

You’ve mentioned struggling in school because of dyslexia. Did that play a role in steering you toward other ways of expressing yourself?

Absolutely. To me, being anything other than creative wasn’t an option. My school experience was all about stripping individuality away from kids and homogenising them to fit a box shaped by those who know nothing about the people they were putting into it. For example, every boy at my school had to have the same army crew cut; it was the school’s most strict rule…. now, my dad is famously known for always having beautifully blow-dried, thick, long brown hair, which I inherited. He always wanted me to look like him, so for my whole childhood and to this day, we’ve always had the same haircut. My school HATED this and would always threaten to suspend me if i didn’t cut my hair. My parents always refused. This rebellious attitude, I think, set me up for life, and to be honest, got me through school. Growing up, my mum would say, “If you become a lawyer, I’ll disown you”. Obviously, she was joking… But what an absolute G. 

‘Without You Is Hard’ is your second EP. What has changed since ‘Trying to Fall Asleep’ and what has stayed the same?

The intention is for the two EP’s to be siblings, they share the same DNA but live their own lives. After releasing ‘Trying To Fall Asleep’, I decided I wanted to do a side A and Side B limited edition vinyl called ‘Trying To Fall Asleep Without You Is Hard’. I came up with the name before I started writing the EP, which is now called ‘Without You Is Hard’. The name set the tone for what it became, a body of work about loss.

What made you choose ‘Decomposing’ to be the first release off your new EP?

The song is rooted in optimism. I liked the idea of starting this new chapter in that mindset. 

Is there a moment on ‘Without You Is Hard’ that feels the most personal to you, a track that made you feel the most vulnerable putting out into the world?

My next single is ‘Remember Us In Summer’. I wrote it when I found out that my ex-partner was pregnant… It made me feel many things, but truthfully, I felt relieved it wasn’t with me. It’s broadly about remembering the best parts and forgetting the worst, but its core is about how happy I am that she found her person and I found mine. Everything ended up the way it was meant to, and something more beautiful than we were was born from us parting. Now, in the end, all we are left with are the memories, and I’m just choosing to remember the good ones. 

London has a rich and vibrant creative energy. Is there a song or a moment in your work that couldn’t have existed anywhere else, something that is unmistakably a product of this city?

Absolutely. I live in Soho, which is both the heart and the armpit of London. That chaotic, grimy, crackhead energy is the essence of what ‘The Hospital’ is. There is such an amazing community here which I don’t think a lot of people know about… All the locations for videos for this EP were filmed in local businesses that just wanted to help us out because we are a Soho band. Everything would be so different had we been anywhere else. We are a product of our environment. 

What are some songs or artists you’re listening to right now that you wish more people knew about?

My favourite artist right now is Dove Ellis, I think Blizzard is the album of the year. 

Are you a Star or a Freak?

I’m a star baby 😉