Music can soothe the soul in ways that not many other things can. It is undeniably therapeutic. With numerous people listening to different genres of music worldwide, rock still happens to be in the top four most popular genres.
If you are a rockhead who needs to tune in to AC/DC’s songs to kickstart your morning, then you probably have heard the name of WAAX. So, let us hop right into what this band is all about and why you should add their songs to your playlist, if you haven’t already!
WAAX was formed back in June 2012. They are an Australian rock band conventionally from Brisbane. Marie DeVita initially formed the band on bass, keys, and vocals; Elijah Gall joined to be the lead guitar, Tom Bloomfield performed on the drums and Ewan Birtwell on rhythm guitar.
These incredible music-driven people put all of their creativity and skills together to record mind-blowing songs. However, shortly after the band was formed, DeVita solely moved into a vocal role, and the band hired Ariana Pelser as their new bassist.
The band slowly and steadily paved their way into the hearts of their fans. Like most bands, it did not all happen overnight. This rock band released their first debut single called “Wisdom Teeth” on May 23rd 2014. That was a hallmark in their career as a band. This debut single earned them a spot on the Triple J Unearthed stage at 2014’s BIGSOUND festival. That was a huge leap for them, and it almost helped them rise to national eminence, stealing fans’ hearts with fiery lyrics, stirring alternative sound, and groundbreaking vocals. If rock makes your heart skip a beat too, you’ve probably have heard of this global chain owning the largest and most valuable collection of authentic rock music memorabilia in the world. With more than 86,000 pieces, including autographed guitars and costumes from world tours, Hard Rock has become a haven for rock music junkies. And beyond all the physical premises – hotels, cafes, and restaurants, Hard Rock offers true New Jersey rockheads to dive into the world of online gambling. If one of them, go check out Hard Rock Casino NJ online review.
One of the major changes in the band occurred in February 2015 when Ariana Pelser left the band. Just after a short while, Elijah Gall also decided to follow in the footsteps of Ariana Pelser. They were replaced by Tom Griffin as the bassist and Chris Antolak as the lead guitarist. Thereon, WAAX began their bittersweet ride of gaining more fame and support.
They released “I For an Eye” in June of the same year. This popularized the band more than they had possibly imagined. To keep up with the expectations of the fans and continue to gain more love and popularity, WAAX released an accompanying music video within a month.
The band was now visible and well-known to a much larger audience. That brought in several amazing opportunities their way. The band got the offer to perform as a support act for other Australian bands such as Ecca Vandal, The Delta Riggs, Kingswood, etc.
In December 2014, WAAX embarked on its very first headlining tour throughout Australia. There was a brief moment of restructuring in the band. Soon after everything was settled, they released the single called “Same Same” on November 21st 2016, which was shortly followed by the release of a music video the very next year, 2017. The band released another single on March 8th 2017.
Soon after, the title track from their second E.P., Wild & Weak, was released. The E.P. was independently released on June 7th, the same year. The band’s new song was “something spicy, like a hot burrito”, in Tom Bloomfield’s words. The band then went on a national tour for 10 long days.
Another sad turning point that the band had to face was parting ways with their guitarist, Chris Antolak.
Marie faced a revelation back in 2012 at Splendour in the Grass festival. As she watched the performance on stage, she realized that she wanted to do something like that herself. So, she made up her mind and decided to give herself five years to give a shot at her music career.
The 26-year old’s journey is inspiring for many because she was battling an eating disorder a few years before her massive leap. Her eating disorder and related mental health issues had driven her to a point where she asked herself questions like, “Do I want to live or do I want to die?”. That is when it struck with WAAX’s vocalist and songwriter that it was about time for her to bring herself out of the dungeon that her life had become. It was time for a few drastic changes.
The driving force, she claimed, was a certain feeling in her heart that she had something valuable to offer to the world, and so she stuck around. Thank God she did!
It took her lesser time to establish herself along with her band members in the music industry than she had imagined. 2015 was one of the peak years for WAAX. Now, Marie DeVita is popularly known as the captivatingly ferocious vocalist who can play several instruments.
She is one of the most intimidating, passionate, and zestful performers Brisbane has ever had. Marie has openly talked about her struggle of being an emerging female artist in the male-dominated music industry. She has clear visions and hopes to unite and move people through her music.
WAAX is a rock band that has several subgenres of rock music to offer to its audience. They play indie rock, alternative rock, punk rock, and post-punk. However, Frontwoman Marie DeVita, in one of her interviews, had described their band’s musical style as “a mixture of post-punk and alternative rock”.
DeVita is the primary lyricist/songwriter of the band. She often portrays her internal struggles in the songs. That makes them incredibly intense and emotional musically as well as lyrically. No wonder multiple fans have claimed that WAAX’s songs are “relatable”.
We have briefly discussed the albums and singles that the band has released over the years. Let us now dig deep into the stories and inspirations of the songs and find out more about the band through the songs they make.
Studio Albums:
Extended Plays:
Singles (As Lead Artists):
Singles (As Featured Artists):
Big Grief is the debut studio album that was released on August 23rd 2019, by Dew Process. It was produced by Bernard Fanning (former frontman of Powderfinger) and Nick DiDia. It was recorded in their joint studio over a single year in Byron Bay. The band’s lead guitarist, Chris Antolak, had last recorded this album before he parted ways with the band.
The artwork of the album was created by the famous Spanish illustrator Christina Daura. In DeVita’s words, the album was described as:
“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,….”. She further discusses how the album revolves around sensitive topics like mania, anxiety, cutting ties with old habits and friends, body dysmorphia, DiDia’s personal experience about her struggles with body image, and so on.
She concludes by saying that this album is in tribute to mourning for a collective reason. However, Big Grief is not all about melancholy and grief. The band has given their best to come up with unique melodies and lively and colourful vocals.
Songs:
The single “Labrador” was about the Gold Coast suburb Labrador which the frontman described as a significant place in her life. An important and meaningful relationship had ended for her in this place.
The song “F.U.” is basically about such a situation that pretty much everyone has faced once or more in their entire lives. It is based on a scenario where you have someone in your life who is constantly taking advantage of you, and you have finally come to your senses and are willing to stand up for yourself.
It is a song about acknowledging reality, no matter how painful that can be sometimes. She describes the experience of writing this song as “cathartic” and hopes that the audience will feel the same way when they listen to it.
The track “History” talks about how the songwriter, DeVita, used to struggle with an eating disorder back when she was in her teen years. The song “Fade” is about a dear friend who went through a really difficult time when that person was brutally victim-blamed and had no one to believe them. Lastly, she explained the track “I Am” as a song that talks about how sometimes we want to please someone so much that we end up losing ourselves and authenticity in that process.
The album overall received a bunch of positive reviews. They had received tons of overwhelming responses even from well-known artists. Jack Walsh from Depth magazine appreciated the album saying that the songs and good points have “Empowering words through hard themes. Nice runtime. Incredible production. Vocal skills are untouchable.”
However, like most albums, this also faced quite a few criticisms from various sources. Nevertheless, the audience’s positive responses had overpowered the negative comments. Thus, WAAX was proclaimed as one such rock band that is redefining what it means to be punk in the 21st century.
Holy Sick is the debut E.P. that was released independently on September 29th 2015. It was released on Soundcloud, and commercially, it was published on December 14th. It was recorded at Airlock Studios in Brisbane and was produced by Konstantin Kersting. Ariana Pelser and Elijah Gall had last recorded this song before they decided to leave the band.
Track listings:
“Wisdom Teeth” was released on May 23rd 2014. Its music video was released on December 8th in the same year. The second single, “I For An Eye” was released on June 3rd 2015, followed by a music video which was released on July 16th. “Holy Sick” came as a surprise for everyone because there were no prior announcements regarding its release. It was released on October 4th, followed by the music video, which came out on December 16th.
All the tracks range within the subgenres- Alternative rock, Garage rock, and Grunge rock.
“I For An Eye”, as informed by the lyricist and lead vocalist, is a song that made her question herself regarding her position and respect in the music industry. She tried to display her anger at herself for feeling insignificant through this song. So, the song sounds angsty, loud, and energetic.
“Holy Sick” is such an underrated song. DeVita attempted to convey her honest opinions about the then Prime Minister and his views on immigration.
The E.P. received a flood of positive comments and praises. “Holy Sick” seems to have served its audience with a wide range of emotions. While the songs begin on angry and howling notes, they eventually turn into emotional and soulful crooning giving music lovers a taste of everything. The E.P. has made people laugh, shout, cry, dance, and even tear a few hairs out. WAAX has done a commendable job on this one.
WAAX has gradually gained an immense amount of fame, love, and support from fans worldwide, and they rightfully deserve so. It has been almost nine years of WAAX, and in this short period, they have given punk rock a new shape in the 21st century.
People, especially the youngsters, love WAAX so much because of how experimental their music and lyrics are. DeVita, the songwriter and lead vocalist, have made bold attempts to write songs on sensitive topics stirring intense emotions within the listeners. In her words, “Music brings community, friends, and people together and is the most rewarding thing you could do.”, DeVita expressed how important music is for her and the world as a whole.
This Australian rock band can take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and feelings through exceptional musical chords, lyrics, and vocals. Their songs are all you’ll need to get your adrenaline rushing.