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Can you tell us about the formation of Oxida and how the band members came together? What inspired you to start a band with such diverse influences?
Oxida was officially formed in 2022, although the group comes from a previous project that Albi (guitars) and Raff (bass) had, more focused on stoner. The project was left on hold for a while until we decided to change the sound, hardening it, and incorporating more members; starting with Urko (vocals), whom we knew from the rehearsal rooms of the town, and finally incorporating War (drums) a few months later. With the band now complete we started to write songs, starting from some previous ideas at the beginning, and then from completely new ideas. With all the members participating in the composition and having so many different influences, it was very natural that the sound of the band would tend to be so diverse.
Your sound has been described as Rust'N'Roll. Can you elaborate on what this genre means to you, and how you go about blending death'n'roll, stoner, hardcore punk, groove metal, and black'n'roll into a cohesive sound?
Rust'N'Roll is simply a way we use to encompass the different influences we have, so that we are not the ones labeling ourselves with those other tags. We don't actively try to mix the different styles that are mentioned, we simply believe that they are our main influences and with that in mind we just compose freely, without tying ourselves to specific styles.
"No Encontrareis Sentido Al Caos" is your debut EP. How does this recording represent the essence of Oxida, and what themes or stories are explored in the three songs?
"No Encontrareis Sentido Al Caos" represents the primordial essence of Oxida, a fragment of what we have done in this first year of life, that serves as an introduction to the band. The themes deal with varied topics, but are always tied to dark mental processes and twisted thoughts. From the deepest existential chaos to the most indescribable human and cosmic horrors, passing through a critical and tormented vision of current society and its production processes, we delve into the unknown abyss of the most indecipherable existentialism.
With such a diverse range of influences, how do you navigate the creative process? Do each of you bring different elements to the table, or is there a collective vision that guides your songwriting?
Usually one of us brings a riff or some musical part to start working on a song, in a more or less elaborate way. Starting from this, in the rehearsal room we start shaping it together, adding and removing parts successively until we consider the structure finished, at least temporarily. Then we start to rehearse the song and include it live, but we keep making arrangements and changes until the last moment. At the same time, Urko and Raff are usually in charge of the lyrics, which are not completely finished until they are recorded.
Could you share more about the themes explored in your songs, from existential chaos to societal critiques? What inspires your lyrical content?
Sure! “No Encontrareis Sentido Al Caos” consists of three songs where the principal idea is simple: Imprisonment. The first track, “Caos”, explores the prison of knowledge and the walls that the human kind creates to hide them, sometimes as a preventive measure, as the Mad Arab warns. “731” talks literally about the prison camp of Zhongma fortress and about the horrors and crimes committed there without any consequences or punishment after the II World War. Finally, “Inerte” puts us in the shoes of a factory worker that feels himself trapped in the spiral of working systematically and the realization that he is merely a disposable number in the machine. As you can see we get our inspiration from the ways that we'd like to free ourselves and the remembrance of those who couldn’t be free.
Hailing from the Basque Country, do you find your cultural background influencing your music or lyrical themes in any specific way?
Coming from this rich musical environment we call home it's hard to think of Oxida without the Basque Country. Individually we come from different musical backgrounds that blend into what we do, but we have all been marked to a greater or lesser extent by the music that has been made in this area in the last decades: varied influences ranging from the rawness of hardcore punk to heavier and more forceful sounds. Being in the midst of so many musical influences surely helped us to be creative and pushed us to try to make a new sound.
Being a relatively new band, what challenges have you faced in the music industry, especially in a genre that blends so many influences? How do you navigate these challenges?
Well, in addition to the problems that any new band can face, when we started there was that uncertainment about how we were going to fit with the music circle near us. The worry is that in the process of merging and blending influences as we do we can lose the easiness for the people to identify themselves within that genre we call Rust’N'Roll, but as we expand and get to new listeners, we'd love to be part of their lives as well as them being part of ours.
How does Oxida approach live performances? Do you find that your music takes on a different energy or dimension when performed in front of an audience?
We try to make hard-hitting and straightforward gigs, with no room for unnecessary breaks or moments of dullness, trying to maintain the intensity at all times. We believe that our music indeed takes on a different dimension when performed live. We always let ourselves be carried away by the moment and become one with the music.
As a band formed in 2022, how do you envision Oxida evolving artistically in the coming years? Are there specific goals or directions you hope to explore in your future music?
Being a new band, we are happy to perform live as much as we can and expand musically and personally. Our next goal is to keep writing songs while playing live, refining our sound, and once we have enough material, enter the studio and record our first full-length album. We still have a lot of processes ahead of us, but we are looking forward to it.
How do you approach the visual aesthetics of Oxida, and how does it tie into the overall artistic vision of the band?
We don't give too much importance to the aesthetic part of the band. We don't think it's something crucial for us as a collective, and we give more importance to the musical and creative part of the band.
Are there any artists or bands you dream of collaborating with in the future? How do you view your role within the broader musical community, and do you actively engage with other artists?
Of course we would like to share the stage with as many bands as possible, especially with bigger bands that are a reference for us, or to be able to collaborate with them, but we don't have any specific band in mind either. For now we are a new band with aspirations to grow and play as much as possible. We always try to collaborate with related bands and we hope to do it more in the future.
Can you walk us through the recording process of "No Encontrareis Sentido Al Caos"? Were there any challenges or memorable moments during the recording sessions?
The recording process has been a bit chaotic, as the EP has been produced in different phases. The drums and vocals were recorded at Subeltza Studio by Aimar Ibarzabal (Ilun Produkzioak), while the bass and guitars were recorded by ourselves at Vladhome Studio. We used different DAWs in different studios and it took us a while to integrate all the tracks, it was a long and somewhat painful process. Then, with everything apparently ready, we sent the clean tracks to Oscar Company (Art Dystopia Studio), who took care of the mixing and mastering. However, new last minute problems arose that delayed the process even more. In spite of everything, we finally managed to get a master that we are proud of and we want to thank Aimar and Oscar for all the patience and work to make it possible.
How do philosophical concepts influence your approach to music and the messages you wish to convey through your songs?
We believe that freedom is the ultimate goal in any circumstance, the reason for writing about real or symbolic prisons is to emphasize our need to be free, in its broadest form. We as individuals have to take responsibility for what we do and try to free ourselves from any kind of limits stipulated by society, or by ourselves.
How do you connect with your audience, and what role do your fans play in the life of Oxida? Are there any memorable interactions with fans that stand out to you?
As a new band, we are still showing ourselves in public and starting to be known regionally. However, in the few concerts we have played we have noticed that it is becoming more and more natural and easy for us to connect with the audience, as we become more comfortable with our setlist and our live performance.
How do you see the band fitting into the broader international music scene?
Eventually, we would love to have the possibility to take our music and our message around the world. We dream of playing in Northern Europe, where our main influences were born, but we would also love to play in places like Japan or the whole American continent. Sharing our music is always a gift for us, learning from other cultures and growing from that experience.