Obroa-Skai on Their Album ‘Science Progresses One Funeral at a Time’
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)
Obroa-Skai are a screamo, noise band from Edmonton, Alberta who brought their sonic revolution on the road with their latet album Science Progresses One Funeral at a Time. Headlining earlier this year at Modern Love, their album release show launched into politically and socially powerful songs that medled together like a catacomb of sound. We had a chance to dig deeper into their lyrical themes with lead vocalists/bassist Amy Lewis, vocalist/guitarist Cory Lewis, guitarist Chris Djuric, and drummer Durrell Smith, while we wait for their cathartic laments to return to Sled Island for this year’s festival.
REVERIE: Tell us about Science Progresses One Funeral at a Time?
AMY: I wanted to do a concept album. A loud, noisey, concept album about things that should die, like transphobia, capitalism, and colonialism.
REVERIE: These are important topics to tackle!
AMY: Yeah I was very angry. For example, there’s a track about Emily Murphy. I was really inspired by that because when I was working, I’d see Emily Murphy park every day and I knew she was very popular in the eugenics movement here in Alberta, where lots of folks were forcibly sterilized. It made me feel very frustrated when we honour these folks who may have done some positive work to improve society, but yet they’ve also done terrible harm. A lot of my songwriting is reflecting on things like this, while trying to write a good song about it.
REVERIE: Switching to a lighter question for a second - who’s the Star Wars fan??
*whole band shouts* CORY! [points to his tattoo].
Photo Credit: Shannon Johnston (@me_onlylouder)
Durrell: When we started this band, it was just a stupid fun band. We expected nothing out of it. And we tried to pick a name…but how do you pick a name in 2019 during a time when everything’s been taken? So we thought “hey, here’s this really obscure reference that no one will ever get.” It looks cool on paper.
REVERIE: It really does look great on paper and on the album art. The artwork for the new record is fantastic. It has elements to it that made me fall in love with the way Sacred Bones does their releases.
CORY: We totally didn’t steal that at all. We’re still waiting for the news from the Sacred Bones lawyer.
REVERIE: What kind of tone did you want to set with the artwork and how does it relate to the album? It’s a brilliant photograph and I love that it’s on your merch designs too.
AMY: We met Sherry at New Friends fest and their photography is phenomenal. I saw Sherry’s album work with Betrayal of Guilt and I immediately said I want you to do a photo for us. They threw out some ideas and I thought it sounded cool. But it was -40 in Boston so they couldn’t do the original concept suggested. They filmed the shoot in a basement so the models could be kept warm and I wasn’t expecting it, but I was really drawn to the photos. Sherry really wanted it to be these two folks left in the dark about how society is crumbling, but they are still tied together. And that’s how I felt when I looked at it. It was like these two are bound by society, but they’re also in this together. But whatever people get out of it, that’s totally cool.
REVERIE: You mentioned New Friends fest! I first discovered you through showcasing festivals like that one and Sled Island. What do you love about playing these kind of festivals?
CHRIS: Living here we have this weirdo heavy scene and it’s great that we have that, but we’re also isolated from the screamo/heavy music scene at large. Not a lot of bands from the coastal cities are coming through here so it’s nice to meet people in person. We interact with people online a lot and names get spread and we share music, but it’s nice to actually get together and see people that you otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity to meet. And share those sweet riff s.
AMY: I love sled because it’s also such an eclectic mix of different bands, so it’s really nice to get inspirations from all these bands that play and so many times I just walk into a show and I leave feeling like I want to start a noise/rock band because the band I just saw rules, it’s very inspiring. Maybe we’ll make a disco LP next *laughs*.