“It’s the first time where years of planning was used, no time or money spared,” Psychoda say of their latest single ‘Waste’.
Earlier this year, we were treated to the riotous rock grooves of ‘Waste’, the sophomore single from Newcastle band Psychoda.
Brimming with grimy guitar melodies and thunderous drum rolls, the teeth-baring track saw the outfit reflect on betrayal and heartbreak, while offering “the first look at the fully-fledged sound of Psychoda,” the band told us in a new interview.
Below, Psychoda bandmate Mike Montgomery swings by Happy to discuss the “powerful healing remedy” of ‘Waste’, his early dreams of being a beekeeper, and the band’s plans for the future.
Catch the full interview with Psychoda below, and scroll down to listen to their new single ‘Waste’. In the meantime, click the following links to find event details about Psychoda’s upcoming shows at Pinch Fest, Duke of Enmore and Meet The Monsters.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
PSYCHODA: Working on preparing for our next release, going out for dinner later on!
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you live, what’s the scene like? What do you love about it?
PSYCHODA: I live in Port Macquarie, the music scene here has always been full of talented musicians. However, it struggles to gain traction with the lack of support and live music venues.
I love Port Macquarie because I can breathe here, as a creative I need space and this town does that with no questions asked.
HAPPY: How did Psychoda form? What’s the story behind the band’s name?
PSYCHODA: We formed in 2021, after I began writing songs for the band during the first pandemic lockdown. I had a setup to begin mapping out some song ideas, here I made demos and wrote around 5 tracks that I was happy with.
Shortly after the lockdown, I called my mate Jordan (bassist) who I went to school with. I asked him if he was keen to have a listen to the songs, he seemed to like them and we agreed to have a jam on them.
We put our heads together to see who could play drums, Ben came to mind as he played with Jordan in his previous band “Roxferry”.
We met up a few weeks later in Newcastle and jammed at Novotone (Carrington), we booked in 2x 6hr days and got all the songs down.
We then went onto start playing shows with bands who we were mates with. The OG logo for the band came from the chalkboard on the door to the jam room. “Psychoda” was written with a wet chalk pen and naturally dripped.
I looked at it and it was perfect, I took a picture of it and later had it rendered. The name “Psychoda” sort of just came to me one day, it later turned out that it’s a species of Australian drain moths hahaha.
Jordan later got that moth tattooed on him which sealed the deal.
HAPPY: Were there any bands or artists you listened to growing up that had a big impact on your musical direction?
PSYCHODA: I’ve always listened to my Dad’s music, I just loved it. I never really changed direction from then on, I was mainly listening to David Bowie, Lou Reed & Iggy Pop growing up.
I would get the “Old Soul” comments made about me knowing and loving this music, at times it was very annoying feeling isolated but had an exclusive side to it.
Later on I was really inspired by bands like “Danzig” & “Kyuss”, this is when I really dove into analysing song writing techniques and building my right tone/ gear setup.
I’m still finding inspiring music everyday, some recent records have been “Climbing!” by Mountain, “Ball Power” by Coloured Balls & “Dead Forever” by Buffalo.
HAPPY: Can you tell us a little about your latest single ‘Waste’ and what inspired it?
PSYCHODA: “Waste” is a song about the pain of being someone who is loyal and is willing to make sacrifices for someone they love.
The song explores the heartbreak of being betrayed by this person and the realisation that the protagonist must rise above and pull themselves out. The song came about in a time where I felt very lost after losing someone who was very special to me.
HAPPY: What role does catharsis play in your music, particularly evident in the chaotic energy of ‘Waste’?
PSYCHODA: The role of releasing bottled up emotions is crucial to me, not only does it let me see the music in a better light and offload deadweight, it is the most rewarding feeling of achievement.
To me, it’s like shifting negative into positive. The only hard part is getting over pride, you have to be vulnerable with this stuff if you are truly being honest. Yes, it’s uncomfortable but I believe it is the most important aspect of creating.
HAPPY: Could you share any insights into the storytelling aspect of your music, specifically the themes explored in the lyrics of ‘Waste’?
PSYCHODA: The storytelling of “Waste” begins in the aftershock of going through a terrible experience, the song is essentially beginning with a problem that later finds a solution.
It’s meant to be a powerful healing remedy. I believe the most important line in the song is “I don’t even know your name”, which for me explained the feeling of wanting a replacement for a person I have lost. It could be anyone and I wouldn’t care who it was.
HAPPY: In what ways does ‘Waste’ represent the evolution of Psychoda’s sound and vision?
PSYCHODA: I think “Waste” is the first look at the fully-fledged sound of Psychoda. It’s the first time where years of planning was used, no time or money spared. It is the closest product that I could have imagined vs what I envisioned in my head.
HAPPY: If you weren’t musicians, what do you think you’d be doing?
PSYCHODA: Beekeeping, probably haha.
HAPPY: Can you tell us about your upcoming performances, including what audiences can expect from your shows?
PSYCHODA: Yeah, we’ll be playing May 12th at Hamilton Station with our Drummer Kobe’s other Band Open House.
Five days later, we’re releasing our next single with “Planet of the 8s”, “A Gazillion Angry Mexicans” & “Robot God” at King St. in Newcastle. You could expect a real-life experience of recent releases and unreleased material.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
PSYCHODA: I like going through courses of overloading myself with work and responsibilities, later followed by a few days of not much. I love the hustle. But I love the simple life, good people, good food and peace of mind.
