We catch up with genre-defying Oxymorrons ahead of their UK tour dates with Bad Omens to talk about new material, and creative inspirations.
Hey guys, how are you doing today?
Excellent! Well rested and practiced for our very first EU/UK run coming up. We are beyond hyped!
How are you looking forward to the forthcoming UK/EU dates you’ve got coming up with Bad Omens?
We’re so pumped and very grateful to Bad Omens for sharing this opportunity with us. We’ve heard over the last year and change that we would be very well received in the EU and the UK. They have been so supportive of us since we’ve released “Green Vision,” so we’re just super excited to share our sound and culture in new countries.
Is there anything you are particularly looking forward to doing while you are over?
The people! The food! Being proper tourists! Haha. But most importantly, road testing some brand new songs from our upcoming album. We love them, and we’re excited to see the reactions from old fans and new fans alike.
How do you look back at the success you experienced with ‘Justice’ and ‘Definition’, and the ‘Mohawks and Durags’ EP now?
The Mohawks and Durags era is the vehicle that got us to this point right now. Those songs hold special places in our hearts and we’re so proud of that body of work. But trust us when we say, it was only the beginning. There’s a whole lot more on the way. New sounds, more fun, and definitely more raging.
On that note, how do you define success as a band, and how has that definition changed?
On an obvious note, having financial stability for our family and loved ones by playing music and doing what we love is a form of success. However, it has evolved to much beyond the band’s success. It’s leading an open path for the people that walk, talk, and think like us. Building a hub and culture where everyone can feel accepted and appreciated not only by the way they look, but being unapologetically themselves. That for us is “melanin punk.”
‘Enemy’ is such a banger, how did pulling the track together push you in new ways as artists?
Enemy was such a fun track to work on. It really wasn’t a place where we had to push ourselves, it really just came naturally to us. It was more of letting things flow. The music came first and we let our spirits guide the lyrics. However, in a way it confirmed our personal confidence in us as songwriters. The song perfectly blends hip-hop, rock, and New York swag in a way that only we could do. Every time we come up with a new track we are excited with, it just lights more of a fire in us to write more!
Legacy is brought up in ‘Enemy’ – how does the band define its legacy?
Legacy goes back to how we feel about success. In a musical sense, we want to be the new pioneers. Not only just rock but music as a whole. When people think of blending genres and going outside the box, we want to be immediately brought up in the conversation. Outside of music, we want to be a voice for the geeks, freaks, the unpopular, and everyone who doesn’t fit into society’s standards. The band that gave everyone who felt that they couldn’t be themselves, the courage to do so. So somewhere in history, herstory, or whoever’s story, just know the Oxy story will be placed for the world to grow from.
Anything else you want to add that I might have missed?
Keep your eyes and ears open! Lot’s of new heat coming, and we’re not taking our foot off the gas pedal!
Have an awesome day, and thanks for making the time for me!
Of course!
UK shows with Bad Omens are below:
23 Feb – Engine Rooms, Southampton
24 Feb – Exchange Bristol
25 Feb – Leeds Beckett Students Union, Leeds
27 Feb – The Garage, Glasgow
28 Feb – Manchester Academy, Manchester
01 Mar – The Mill, Digbeth
02 Mar – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
03 Mar – The Dome, London
04 Mar – The Dome, London
05 Mar – The Dome, London
06 Mar – Exchange, Bristol
