Maz De Vita Takes Us Through WAAX's 'Cathartic' New EP, 'Wild & Weak'

Busy Brisbane indie-punks WAAX release their second EP, Wild & Weak, today before embarking on a national tour in support later this month.

The band has worked relentlessly since their 2015 debut EP, Holy Sick, and the buzz surrounding Wild & Weak's first singles, This Everything and Same Same, and its title track — which has already garnered airplay on triple j, 4ZZZ and FBi, all — is considerable enough to have seen them sell out an upcoming show in Melbourne, having to freshly add a second outing at the Gasometer to cope with demand.

Their fierce and frenetic live shows are the stuff of local legend, and it's encouraging to see the band enjoying the sort of returns they now are as a result of their determination and spirit.

To celebrate the Wild & Weak EP's arrival, vocalist Maz De Vita kindly penned her thoughts on the new work and broke down its five tracks for a personal reflection on the band's growth as songwriters and humans.

Wild & Weak is a body of explorative songs both thematically and musically. The evolution of WAAX has followed the evolution of us as people and as we have grown so has the music. As the lyricist, I was ready to explore the internal for the first time, really.

Our first EP was a lot more external — I was talking about outside influences, other people, other things, politics. Not that there is anything wrong with going there; it's just that when it was finished, I did feel I was hiding behind it — perhaps unsure of my capabilities as a songwriter and my ability to tap into my emotional side. So, it felt like the next evolutive step to explore my inner workings and coincidently a timely post-traumatic deep hole started forming within me, from previous events; I think my coping mechanisms were pretty much shattered.

These songs are a cathartic documentation of what I went through — the steps of finding peace with my past being in this band. I don't think I was ever prepared to endure what I have emotionally with my relationships and encounters in the early stages of the group, and I got all fucked up from it.

Each song is track-listed in the order of mental events that I went through during this period.

1. Wild & Weak (The Denial)

This song is about ignoring your problems and masking them with reckless pursuits. I feel this song pinpoints the beginnings of a mental rupture. I couldn't even address or unpack what was going on; I just wanted to run. I got heavily involved with a party scene a while ago and we all were doing the same thing — masking our problems. There was such a darkness looming: isolation, instability, unattended wounds. I laid a solid foundation of habitually ignoring problems.

2. This Everything (The Disorientation)

When I realised something was wrong, I became overwhelmed and wanted to deny everything. I couldn't even digest it. I didn't want to sit in one place for too long because I'd have to think and listen to my depressive thoughts. Everything was wrong. My house, my health, my general outlook on life. I felt like I was going backwards and wasn't achieving what I thought I may have, had I done things differently. I was blaming everything, especially me. I hated me. Complete apathy.

3. Same Same (The Pattern)

At this stage, I worked out I'd fallen into a pattern. Making the same mistakes — going out finding a Band-Aid, slapping it on and totally letting it fall off again. Problems re-surge. There were moments when I'd find normality and then abuse it by ignoring mental signs and going back a few steps. I was pacing and thinking, analysing but ultimately doing the same thing over again. It's insanity. Repeating the same thing, expecting a different result.

4. Nothing is Always (The Discussion)

I think, by this time, I just wanted things to stop. I wanted to make peace with myself and my past. People around me saying, "Nothing lasts forever, you'll get through." I was ready to face my demons head-on, meet up with them and compromise so I could go on with my life in a healthy way. I was looking for peace, honestly. I just wanted to feel whole. I saw some hope.

5. You Wouldn't Believe (The Acceptance)

The conclusion for this exploration is me talking about how scarring this experience has been. What I've seen, you wouldn't believe. I feel like it's the process of letting go, talking about it — acknowledging that it did happen and it was fucked. I know what my problems are, and I'm going to work with them. At this stage, I knew things had to get better.

Production-wise, this was a new endeavour. With the addition of Chris (guitar) and Griff (bass), the sound has taken a new and exciting route. I wrote most of these songs with Chris — his guitar parts helped form the basis of the songs and his riffs are quite definitive and unique. His style of playing is quite contemporary, rigid and staccato whilst tonally bright and it compliments Ewan's (guitar) intricate swirls, ambience and darker tones. Tom's drumming characterises the songs immensely with inventive and modern rhythms, which match well with Griff's solid bass lines. It was a group effort in the studio — everyone helped where they could and we are all so stoked with the results.

Working with [renowned producer] Miro [Mackie] was a very hands-on experience. He was really in tune with the songwriting process and helped us realise a path for WAAX and what the future might sound like. I let go of my security blankets, such as screaming every two seconds. I am more comfortable with my melodic vocal tonality and I'm excited to explore this further.

Wild & Weak is out now.

WAAX kick off their national EP tour at Adelaide's Rocket Bar on Friday 30 June. They've got two shows lined up in Melbourne — one sold out — with their home-town show in Brisbane also selling fast.

The band also hit stages in Bondi, Erina, Sydney, Wollongong, Perth and the Gold Coast across the run, as well as being part of the Queensland Music Festival's Currie Street Music Crawl in Nambour in July.

See theGuide for all the details.