INTERVIEW: Maz On WAAX’s Rebirth Through Their New Album ‘At Least I’m Free’
Interview by Alex Knox
Meanjin royalty, WAAX, are back with the release of their highly-anticipated, and red hot, studio album ‘At Least I’m Free’.
A rebirth of the band in record form as they charge forward through growth with clear eyes, a fighting spirit and greater maturity . ‘At Least I’m Free’ explores a new emotional depth to WAAX’s music as front-woman Maz DeVita bleeds deep and impeccable lyricism into the piercing layers of the bands iconic and ever-evolving punk-rock sound.
We caught up with Maz to chat all about the creation of the record…
Hey legends, what’s been going on?
I think the question is WHAT HASN’T BEEN GOING ON?? hehe. Heaps of shit my friend, working, touring - just finished a tour with the Amity Affliction, announced our own headline tour for October thru to December (we going everywhere!) AND…… putting out a MF NEW ALBUMMMMM!
Can you tell us a bit about the record? What does it mean to you?
It’s the last 3 years of my life wrapped into a nice little 11 track package. So it means alot, it’s in the time we’ve worked on this thing that people have completed their undergraduate degrees! It’s a long time. I had 2 break ups worth of material to put in there, so yeah it's stacked. Lots of variety musically, too. Had some fun co-writing sessions for this one with some actual legends - Linda Perry and K.Flay. Plus we recorded the thing with our rock papi duo Nick DiDia and Bernard Fanning.
What do you want listeners to take away from it?
I think I’d like them to finish it front to back thinking, “wow, they really worked hard, so much depth and variety and drama and also they are so good looking”.
You’ve got a tonne of guests on this new WAAX album. Including a co-write with K.FLAY on my favorite ‘No Doz’, which has that real sing along bridge and chorus. It’s the kind of song where you’d be driving with your mates on a Friday arvo as the sun goes down and you’re all belting it out at the top of your lungs. Is this collaboration an organic development or did you reach out to help spark a new wave in the creative process and further push this sound?
I’m so glad you dig it! It was pretty organic I’d say! Word got out at the end of 2019 that I was heading to LA to do some writing sessions and K.Flay was the first to put her hand up. We got along like a house on fire immediately and creatively gelled so well. We are still buds and I will definitely work with her again!
One of the other notable people assisting with the album is Linda Perry. You’d usually associate Linda with someone like Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga, which seems a bit left field. How did this session come together? How did you keep it together as even the most influential musicians fan out sometimes?
Yeah, it was a pretty insane moment in my life. It was like stepping out of reality and into a dream. I knew I had a job to do and I sort of disassociated from how incredibly famous and renowned she was and did the thing. After it was all done I jumped in an uber and cried with relief that I didn’t make a complete ass of myself and the songs we wrote were good.
After the success of your album Big Grief in 2019 was there a plan going into this album wanting to try and shake things up. Did your approach change or even just the way you recorded? We know some people like to record in a bathroom or even down a hallway for their backing vocals to achieve their desired sound, do you have any token techniques?
We definitely went into this one with no rules. We wanted to test ourselves and see how far we could push ourselves in all directions. So more tracks, samples and drama. Nick DiDia taught me how to manually distort my vocal by cupping the microphone and holding it right up to your mouth - no plugins required.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTrAwGwRBoA?wmode=opaque]
Like most people who are successful, a common trend is imposter syndrome. Have you guys experienced this? Or has there been a moment where you’re like “how the f*** did we get here?” and what do you do to overcome this?
I go in an out of feeling like this (imposter syndrome) - some days I am like how the fuck are we still a band after all the shit we have been through - it’s a god damn miracle. I remind myself that I have worked hard and I am dedicated to my craft so, as much as I ask myself how, I know it’s because I’m persistent, hard working and committed.
You recently wrapped up a tour with The Amity Affliction which seems to differ from your usual fan base, can you tell us how this came about and how it went?
Well it was an interesting one for us, yes. Joel and I are friends and he saw us play on the sunny coast once and really dug it, and all of a sudden they asked us to come on tour. We were a bit unsure, but also we love a good challenge, and we walked away with a bunch of new fans and learnt a lot.
On the back of touring everyone talks about the exciting times but what are some difficulties you’ve realised when touring? It could be someone’s bad hygiene habits or just the mundane of being in a van for days on end.
I miss routine when I’m away. I like going to the gym and going on walks and alot of the time you can’t really do that on the road - because you‘re tired all the time…and then when you come good, it’s time to play and then you’re fucked again. It’s a mental battle to stay present and go through the trenches. I love touring but it also shits me to tears. Love/hate relationship.
Alright I’m going to go rapid round so you can get back to your day.
In which subject were you best at school?
Visual Art.
What advice would you give your young self?
You’re a good kid, and it’s okay that you don’t understand everyone around you. One day these little shits who bully you will work at accounting firms and you will be seeing the world and playing to thousands of people.
What scares you?
Emotionally unavailable men.
Cats or dogs or other?
Both bring me so much joy.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
LA and I’m going to do just that next year.
Is there anything else you’d like to mention about the record that we may not have covered or what they should expect?
It’s my heart and soul, and if you could just open your mind and give me an hour of your time to show you how much love has gone into this, that would be all I need.