New album "Addicted"

Graz band Oxyjane pays homage to grunge and dreampop

Digesting the corona shock and slowly getting back into the fast lane: Graz-based rock collective Oxyjane.

(Bild: Numavi Records, Stefan Heider)

There are better times for a debut: when the Graz-based trio Oxyjane released their first EP in spring 2020, the coronavirus lockdown had just been declared. So instead of live performances, it was time to go into retreat. But Selina Galka, Robert Wiese and Lukas Schneeberger didn't let this put them off and kept going. The fantastic "Addicted" is now the second album to be released by the group, who have made themselves at home somewhere between grunge, indie and dreampop.

"It wasn't that difficult to pull it off," says singer and songwriter Galka, looking back on the challenging start-up phase in an interview with APA. "Of course it wasn't fun for us to cancel the release shows. It was really right in the first week of corona. But we recorded an album in July, simply because the songs were ready. Thank God we were able to go into the studio." This positive approach is also characteristic of the songs, which, like "Red Lips" for example, range from delicate melancholy to a gripping gesture. The early 90s send their regards here, but pleasantly transported to the present day.

Finding more style
This is not least due to the dynamic sound, which allows the intimate moments to shine just as brightly as the big walls of guitars. In terms of songwriting, nothing has really changed since the first EP. "We had already found our track back then, so the differences aren't that big," explains Galka. But the sound has improved, adds Wiese. "We've also become more attuned to each other over the years. Maybe we've found our style more, defined it even more precisely." Producer Tom Zwanzger, who contributed many a tip, was also helpful.

What stands out on tracks such as the forward-pushing title track or the more restrained "Mirror" are the small but subtle twists and turns with which Oxyjane knows how to surprise. Small details with a big impact. "I don't want to write run-of-the-mill songs," nods Galka, "they shouldn't be bland." Although some ideas can sometimes be thought too far around the corner, as she laughingly points out on "Red Lips". "We had an ending in the studio that had 9, 8, 7 bars - we haven't played it since." But it can also be very straightforward, as in the rapid-fire "All This Weight". Galka's fragile, captivating vocals, which act as a counterpoint to the sometimes violent instrumental outbursts, are very inspiring.

Music from the subconscious
The elegiac album closer "Sundown", which evokes associations with Mira Lu Kovacs' "Stay A Little Longer", provides a little aha moment. "Caught out," laughed Galka. "The chords are actually the same, but the vocal melody is different, of course." Kovacs is also the indirect godmother of the band's name, as Galka once covered one of her songs and pronounced the word "oxygen" a little strangely, which ultimately became Oxyjane. Ultimately, there are many influences, "but it also takes on a life of its own", says the singer. "I have a list of songs that I like and then I like to play them." But that doesn't flow one-to-one into her own songs. "Maybe it's like a mash-up of things you hear," adds Wiese: "It happens more in the subconscious."

Coming back to the subject of timing, it now seems that guitar bands have a pretty good standing again. "That's a bit of luck, of course," says drummer Wiese. "You have to hit the zeitgeist - if that's what you want. We're not trying to do that, but I think things are better for guitar music right now than they were a few years ago." Social media, on the other hand, is more of a necessary evil. "It's not fun, but you just have to be present," said Galka. Instagram and Facebook are part of the standard repertoire, but the trio still steers clear of TikTok. "I tried briefly once, but it wasn't possible," laughs the musician. "We're probably too old for that."

Live in Austria
Then it's time to go the good old way again and convince people live: last Friday, Oxyjane presented their new album at Rhiz in Vienna, on October 4 they will play at Hafenstadt in Klagenfurt and on October 5 at Music House in Graz. On November 17, they will then be guests at Flucc in Vienna, on November 23 at Freiraum in St. Pölten and on January 10, 2025 at Glam in Feldbach, Styria.

APA/Christoph Griessner