‘Backbone’ is the anthem you need to blast when you’re ready to ditch the drama and build a better you
Rising rockers Psychoda are crushing it. Following the infectious “Waste,” they’re back with “Backbone,” a song that’s pure sonic therapy.
We sat down with Psychoda to get the lowdown on their influences, how they write killer tunes, and what wild plans they have brewing.
Happy: Following up on the success of “Waste,” what inspired the sound and direction of “Backbone”?
Psychoda: Backbone encapsulates the desire to work towards a vision in spite of something bad that has happened.
It’s actually a very positive song, it’s the soundtrack of someone who wants to lead a better life.
The sound of the sound needed to communicate this, the rolling and hard-hitting drums, vibrant bass and strong riffs made it all happen.
Happy: You’ve showcased a range of influences, from classic rock to grungier sounds. What are some of your band’s biggest musical influences?
Psychoda: We as individuals all have various different interests in artists and bands.
However, for Psychoda as a collective we are mainly inspired by bands such as Queens of the Stone Age, Danzig and Silverchair to name a few.
We also really admire 70s bands such as: Coloured Balls, Buffalo, Mountain & Funkadelic in terms of their artistry and song structures.
Happy: “Backbone” has a catchy rhythm section. How do you approach songwriting as a band? Is it collaborative or individual efforts brought together?
Psychoda: Usually we’ll start off with a drum beat or a riff, Backbone started off as a chord progression.
We’ll then stumble across the song until we find a groove that we all like. All instruments must compliment each other, yet should never be playing the same thing. But yes, mostly collaborative.
Happy: The song has a great balance of melody and grit. How important is it for you to explore both sides of your sound?
Psychoda: We as a band are really conscious of not painting ourselves into a corner, whether that be genre or image.
We don’t want to be categorised as a genre specific band. If people knew what to expect from us, we’d find that very discouraging.
We like all aspects of music and like to construct our music with what sounds good to us, not what defines a genre.
Happy: The lyrics in “Backbone” touch on feelings of being lost. What themes or stories do you like to explore in your music?
Psychoda: It’s not necessarily about being “lost”, it’s the sudden realisation of how much energy you have wasted on someone who you poured your heart and soul into (your backbone).
The themes explored in the song is about adapting that energy back into yourself and starting fresh.
In general, we like to explore themes that are usually quite difficult to have in person.
The conversations or ideas you’d like to say, but you just can’t.
The beauty of it is that you can get so much off your chest in songwriting and still keep it light. That’s the best feeling.
Happy: With three singles out now, how do you feel Psychoda has evolved as a band since your debut release?
Psychoda: We are feeling so alleviated after piecing together the whole EP that has lived inside of our brains for WAY too long.
It’s in its final form and ready to be shared with the world.
We found the early days quite frustrating with only having the one song out, because we knew we had more to show the world and no one else could see it.
We feel motivated to take the next step, but it will never end. There’s always more!
Happy: What’s the live experience like for Psychoda? What kind of energy do you bring to your shows?
Psychoda: We like to display a mix of intimate performance and high energy.
As most of our songs are very different in terms of style, we are able to construct a set in a way that we can increase momentum as the show goes on and not burn out.
We love to go fully fledged, it’s the best feeling we are yet to know.
Happy: Any exciting plans coming up for Psychoda beyond the release of “Backbone”?
Psychoda: Yep! We’re releasing our Debut EP “Psychoda” which is a 5 track, 30min album.
It will be available on Vinyl & CD along with all streaming services.
This will be released on the 7th of June. On the day, we’ll be celebrating our EP launch party at Adamstown Bowling Club in Newcastle, NSW.
We are stoked to announce this one and give it the biggest send off!
Happy: Any last words for the Psychoda fans out there, especially those who haven’t heard “Backbone” yet?
Psychoda: Thank you for the ride so far! We look forward to giving you some more music to check out.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us in following us on all of our platforms out there, buying merch and just being good people! We Love You!
