Envy Of None: Not Dead Yet
With a debut album based on discovery and settling in, Canadian-American rock supergroup ENVY OF NONE are releasing their sophomore album with the kind of comfortability and experimentation that only comes with time. Stygian Wavz is a tale of fighting turbulence and coming out on the other side, changed but still with a positive attitude. The members hold the ethos that whatever you’re going through, there’s probably a good song that can come from it, and we sit down with vocalist Maiah and guitarist Andy to find out more. Maiah explains, “it’s so exciting to finally get these songs out into the world. It’s hard to just pick three singles that really represent the whole thing, and there’s so much more to this record.”
Part of the reason that ENVY OF NONE works so well is because of the different strengths of each member, and while it will generally be Maiah or Andy presenting an idea to the rest of the group, it will usually quickly snowball into something pretty cool, with Maiah describing the process as “we kind of have our paint brushes that we know we’re going to use and we figure out how we’re going to paint the picture together.” While most of the members of the band have had extensive careers in music before ENVY OF NONE, it’s very clear that this project is something different, and a lot of that can be attributed to the band meeting Maiah.
Andy explains how hearing her music intrigued him immediately, and how one particular song that she sent him got his attention straight away. “She’s really dialled in with the folky, rootsy Americana stuff, but I felt like one of these songs is not like the other. It really opened up the blinders for us to scratch a different itch.” When listening to this album in particular, each member’s influence is there, subtly, and it’s obvious that the spirit of the band is based on collaboration, and gently pushing each other to new heights.
Though it’s extremely difficult to fault their debut, Stygian Wavz holds a confidence that can only be explained by the bond between the members of the group. After an album of getting to know each other and working out any kinks, ENVY OF NONE are now truly in the groove. Through mutual respect and being able to trust each other’s intentions, Andy explains that everybody has “parked their egos at home”. Together, they have built an environment where they can push the boundaries, and experiment without fear of judgement. They joke that if somebody doesn’t really like an idea, there will usually just be a radio silence, but no drama after that. Andy says, “we just have a really good dynamic now. We’re very respectful of each other’s turfs, and when I send ideas along, I intentionally send them hoping that everybody can put their stamp on it.” This is something that is even more prevalent now. “Not that there was any friction on the first record, but it kind of helped us create a path for the next one.” Maiah expands, “I think it’s liberating, and challenging in a way that makes me feel like I’m growing as an artist.”
After naming the band after an Ovid quote, it would only make sense to keep the theme going with this album, and Stygian Wavz represents the turbulent waves of hell, which is the band acknowledging the difficult times we are going currently through. While a lot of the lyrics throughout the album are deeply personal to both Maiah and Andy, they knew they wanted to keep a level of universal relatability so that listeners could find something in the album that speaks to them. Because of this, the lyrics are often deliberately vague, so most people will be able to connect to them, and nothing is too niche. A lot of this can be attributed to the personal differences in the members of the band, and Andy explains, “Maiah and I have this good kindred spirit relationship where I’ll channel stuff that is happening to me personally into a lyric or a concept, because I think it might have a universal feel to it. I think I could speak for both us that we’ve gone through some challenging chapters in our personal lives that seemed topically relevant, but maybe other people could go, ‘I get what’s being said here’.” Although this album doesn’t shy away from any difficult topics, and the title faces them head on, ENVY OF NONE always end up coming back to this positive mindset. Instead of forcing themselves to see the good in a bad situation, there is more of a peaceful acceptance that is at play, with the knowledge that there is always a good song to come out of everything. Maiah says, “I try to take in everyone’s perspectives and that middle place where we all meet. We do a good job of that as a team.”
Stygian Wavz is the outcome of an extreme amount of hard work, and it’s paid off to be something that ENVY OF NONE are really proud of. Andy says, “we just say, get your headphones on and listen because there’s so much time and love and care spent on every single overdub that we did, there are some songs that are more immediate, but it’s a creeper. Give it a couple of listens before you decide whether you love it, hate it, or you’re indifferent. There are so many layers.” Maiah finishes with, “I think it’s something we’ve put a lot of work into and a lot of love and passion. I hope people hear that each song is made with love.”
Stygian Wavz is out now via Kscope. View this interview, alongside dozens of other killer bands, in glorious print magazine fashion in DS120 here:
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