WAAX is a band that’s been making a lot of noise for a while now, but today they announce that after years of evolution and growth, the expected shape of their punk to come has finally taken the form of Big Grief, their stellar debut album, set for release August 23 via Dew Process / Universal Music Australia.
To celebrate the album’s announce, the band has released a brand-new video for their barnstorming current single ‘I Am.’ Directed by Jeremy Hancock & Marty Moynihan (who previously directed the video for ‘FU’), the clip is a black and white performance piece, laced with subtle psychedelic effects. At times looking like the cover art of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless come to life, the imagery is visceral, hypnotic and electric – once again perfectly complementing the powerful moves and moods expressed by the band’s performance.
Committed to tape over several inspired sessions across 2018, the 12 songs that make up Big Grief were crafted with legendary Powderfinger front man Bernard Fanning and Grammy-winning Nick DiDia (Springsteen, RATM, Pearl Jam) at the production helm – the band writing much of the material around those sessions. With Fanning and DiDia pushing them to their max potential the band instantly saw success, with the roaring first single, ‘Labrador,’ becoming their inaugural entry into the prestigious 2018 triple j Hottest 100 at #88.
The follow up singles ‘FU’ and ‘I Am’ both went on to receive instant triple j rotation, while streaming services have drenched their rock dog playlists with as much WAAX as they could get their hands on. Put simply, the band’s momentum over the last year has built them to the point where they’re considered one of the premiere musical acts in the country – and on Big Grief that is in full display.
Big Grief explores the very definition of the word ‘grief’ in universal terms. As singer and chief songwriter Maz DeVita explains, “the whole album is about grief for so many things that I felt when we were writing the record and still do now. The way the world is so volatile at the moment, our environment, I talk about anxiety, mania, cutting ties with old friends and habits, my problems in the past with body image, and it’s almost like a big mourning for all that. It’s definitely an outpouring of grief in every sense of the word. But as much as I explored darker themes for Big Grief, I framed my melodies and vocal very colourfully and lively.”
The record is unrelenting in its exploration of a range of themes relating to modern day grief that are disarmingly frank, with DeVita opening her lyric book and indeed her heart aches for all to see – supported by a the wave of noise generated by Ewan Birtwell (guitar), Tom ‘Griff’ Griffin (bass) and Tom Bloomfield (drums). From the anthemic title track that opens the album with a triumphant fist held high, through to the barn burner ‘No Apology,’ and the quietly tender ‘History,’ Big Grief is a record that is dynamic and wide in scope, as it announces the graduation of WAAX from the little Brissie punk band that could, into the rock and roll force they are today.
WAAX is now poised to hit the road this August as part of their ‘I Am’ national tour, including a gig at Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel on the record’s release day, August 23.
WAAX ‘I Am’ National Tour 2019
Thursday, August 8, Mojos, Fremantle
Friday, August 9, Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
Saturday, August 10, Jive, Adelaide
Friday, August 16, Triffid, Brisbane
Saturday, August 17, Corner, Melbourne
Friday, August 23, Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Saturday, August 24, Oxford Art Factory, Sydney