It’s undeniable, WAAX are one of the finest punk acts in Australia. The past few years have seen the band establish themselves as one of the hardest-hitting, razor-sharp bands in the country. They’ve conquered the festival circuit, dive bars and arenas — now the band are gearing up to take their raw new single ‘I AM’ on the road.
Ahead of their national tour, we sat down with frontwoman Maz DeVita to pick her brains about the bands’ forthcoming tour and record.
You’ve got two fantastic EP’s under your belt and now you’re gearing up to release your debut record. What have you learnt over the past few years and how has that impacted the way you approached this record?
Overall I think after all this time and evolution, we’ve learnt to be stronger and braver each time we approach a record. Like the more we’ve written the more fearless we’ve become.
What were some of your artistic goals while making the record?
I think that the lyrical themes are pretty dark, personal and self-reflective, but we wanted it to have lots of colour and punch production-wise. We always aspired to have an album with lots of light and shade throughout.
I think that your latest single, ‘FU’, is one of the most powerful songs you’ve released and it’s one that people have really resonated with. Could you talk to me a little about the track?
I have always had these strong feelings of being mistaken for a doormat, and maybe in the past I have become one and that’s okay, but this song is for those moments – everyone has them. When you just want to say ‘fuck you for trying to mess with me, I’m better than that.’
Talk me through the characters that populate your music. Are you the protagonist of your songs?
I’d say predominately it’s coming from the inner me and particular relationships with friends, acquaintances and family. I also paint myself as an internal villain a bit, like I’m sort of a hazard to myself. But yeah, particular personal memories are hugely potent for me and I often enter those memories looking for the right words.
What do you hope people take away from the new record?
I hope they find strength. A lot of personal pain went into that record, I just want people to find strength and I want to find strength from it too.
Where do you draw your strength from?
I suppose the will to produce art and music because it’s the only stuff that makes any sense to me. WAAX has been the only constant in my life for the entirety of my 20s thus far and going through that rollercoaster evolution has made me stronger, plus I love to perform and connect as often as I can. And surrounding myself with good people helps heaps.
What is your proudest achievement?
I think putting out this debut album will be one for the books!
You can catch WAAX at their upcoming Australian tour. Check out the tour dates below.
Check out WAAX – ‘FU’
WAAX ‘I Am’ 2019 National Tour
Tickets on sale now
Thursday, 8th August
Mojos Bar, Fremantle
Tickets: Official Website
Friday, 9th August
Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
Tickets: Official Website
Saturday, 10th August
Jive, Adelaide
Tickets: Official Website
Friday, 16th August
The Triffid, Brisbane
Tickets: Official Website
Saturday, 17th August
The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Tickets: Official Website
Friday, 23rd August
The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Tickets: Official Website
Saturday, 24th August
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Tickets: Official Website
