The Foxies
NOTHING TRULY DIES IN A GOTH DISCO … ESPECIALLY NOT ROCK.
BY NOW, THE SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY THAT ROCK IS DEAD IS ALL TOO FAMILIAR – AND ALL TOO CLICHÉ. BUT YOU’LL FIND NO EVIDENCE FOR IT WITH THE FOXIES.
A MODERN POWER TRIO BUILT ON THRASHING PUNK ENERGY AND THE HYPNOTIC PAGEANTRY OF ELECTRONIC POP, THE FOXIES FERAL BRAND OF ROCK IS JUST NOW EMERGING, DESPITE MORE THAN HALF A DECADE OF RESTLESS PROWLING. THEY’VE ALREADY BUILT A LOYAL FOLLOWING THROUGH EUPHORIC LIVE SHOWS AND SNARLING, SELF-STYLED RECORDINGS, PREACHING EMPOWERMENT AND SHARP-TOOTHED INDIVIDUALITY AT MAXIMUM VOLUME. BUT WITH THE NEW EP, GROWING UP IS DEAD, THEY’VE FOUND A BRAVE NEW CREATIVE FOCUS – EVIDENCE THAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL IS VERY MUCH ALIVE.
“I THINK ROCK’S JUST BEEN SLEEPING FOR A BIT, AND IT’S ABOUT TIME TO WAKE THE BEAR,” SAYS FRONT WOMAN AND BAND FOUNDER, JULIA LAUREN BULLOCK. “AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A VERY POINTY STICK.”
CONCEIVED IN ARIZONA BUT BORN IN NASHVILLE WITH THE ADDITION OF GUITARIST JAKE OHLBAUM AND DRUMMER ROB BODLEY, THE FOXIES HAVE PREVIOUSLY ATTRACTED CRITICAL INTRIGUE WITH TWO CUNNING EPS (OBLIVION, BATTERY) AND A PAIR OF STAND-ALONG SINGLES (“BE AFRAID BOY,” “CHEWING GUM”), HIGHLIGHTED BY NASHVILLE STAPLES NATIVE MAGAZINE AND LIGHTNING 100 RADIO. ALONG THE WAY THEY WERE ALSO TAPPED FOR VOLUME 63 OF NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC AND MADE STANDOUT APPEARANCES AT PROMINENT FESTIVALS LIKE SUNDANCE, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST AND BONNAROO. BUT GROWING UP IS DEAD MARKS A DIFFERENT SORT OF MILESTONE.
“THE MOMENT WE STOPPED TRYING WAS THE MOMENT WE CREATED THIS MUSIC, AND IT WAS LIKE ‘SHIT, THIS IS WHO WE ARE,’” SAYS BULLOCK, THE FLAME HAIRED ALPHA FEMALE WHO CHANNELS DEBRAH HARRY AND DAVID BOWIE ONSTAGE. “LET’S BE MORE AUTHENTIC TO OUR PRIMAL INSTINCTS.”
RECORDED OVER A 6-DAY BLOCK IN MUSIC CITY, PRODUCERS ALEX AND SEAN SILVERMAN PULL THOSE PRIMAL INSTINCTS OUT ON GROWING UP IS DEAD. DISTORTED GUITAR MELODIES AND WARBLING SONGBIRD VOCALS TAKE ON A RABID EDGE, DRIVEN TO THE BREAKING POINT BY POUNDING DRUMS AND SPLASHES OF SYNTHETIC MOONLIGHT AS THE BAND UNVEIL A SOUND THEY AFFECTIONATELY CALL “GOTH DISCO.” “I’M A VERY VISUAL PERSON,” BULLOCK EXPLAINS, “AND EVERY SONG SOMEHOW MADE ME THINK OF A VAMPIRE NIGHTCLUB.”
TURNING THEIR MUSE AWAY FROM OUTSIDE RELATIONSHIPS AND INSTEAD EXPLORING THEIR OWN INTERNAL COMPASS, WHAT EMERGED WAS A BATCH OF BLOOD PRESSURE-SPIKING CONFESSIONALS LIKE THE RADIO SINGLE “ANTI SOCIALITE.” IT STAKES A CLAIM FOR THE CASTAWAYS OF A WORLD GONE SOCIAL-MEDIA MAD, CO-WRITTEN BY THE BAND WITH THE SILVERMAN BROTHERS LIKE A BADGE OF OUTSIDER’S HONOR.
“IT’S THE ANTHEM TO WHAT EVERYBODY BATTLES WITH ALL THE TIME,” BULLOCK SAYS. “I GET FOMO [FEAR OF MISSING OUT] REAL BAD, BUT NOW I’M FINALLY OK WITH DOING MY OWN DAMN THING. IT’S THE ANTHEM OF BEING LIKE ‘I DON’T GIVE A FUCK WHAT ANYBODY ELSE IS DOING. I’M HAPPY RIGHT HERE BY MYSELF, AND I’LL THROW A PARTY WITH MY IMAGINARY FRIENDS. YOU’RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO COME!’”
“AS A WRITER, I HEARD THE FIRST BIT OF ‘ANTI SOCIALITE’ AND WAS LIKE ‘ALRIGHT, WE’RE DOING THIS. THIS IS WHAT I WAS WAITING TO HEAR HER SAY,’” OHLBAUM ADDS. “YOU GET LIKE TEN WORDS, BUT IT’S ALL RIGHT THERE.”
OTHERS LIKE “HYPER HYPO” TOSS AND TURN WITH THE MANIACAL ENERGY OF A A.D.D. HYPOCHONDRIAC, WHILE “CALL ME WHEN YOUR PHONE DIES” TURNS THE OTHER CHEEK ON A CONTACT LIST FULL OF WANNA-BE PLAYERS.
“IT’S JUST THE ODE TO ALL THE ‘FUCKBOYS’ OUT THERE,” BULLOCK SAYS OF THE SYNTH-DRIVEN STANDOUT, A HEADBANGING MASTERPIECE WHICH CRASHES THROUGH A WALL OF MALE-DATING PRIVILEGE. “IT’S LIKE ‘HEY LISTEN. I HAD A NIGHT WITH YOU, BUT I SHOULDN’T HAVE. YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING FOR ME, AND THAT’S THAT.’”
IT’S POTENT EVIDENCE OF THE BAND’S ROCK SPIRIT – EVEN IF IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE A RAVING MIX OF GRUNGE AND SECOND-WAVE EDM. “I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF ROCK MUSICIANS SAYING ROCK IS DEAD BECAUSE THEY’RE AFRAID TO PLAY WITH THE NEW TOYS,” OHLBAUM SAYS. “BUT THAT’S WHAT ALL OF OUR FAVORITE ARTISTS DID.” “ROCK’S ABOUT STEPPING OUT,” BODLEY ADDS. “IT’S NOT METALLICA OR AC/DC OR THIS GUITAR-DRIVEN THING, IT WAS A MOVEMENT OF ATTITUDE AND PERSONALITY.”
MEANWHILE, THERE’S NO DEBATING THE PUNK PROWESS OF TRACKS LIKE “FRENCH BOY,” A FRANTIC, FULL-SPEED FANTASY ABOUT LEAVING LIFE BEHIND FOR A ROMANTIC TRYST IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS. “IT’S ALMOST LIKE FALLING IN LOVE WITH A DREAM,” BULLOCK DECLARES.
LIKEWISE, THE “GOTH DISCO” IMAGERY COMES INTO HIGH DEFINITION ON “NEON THOUGHTS” – A HAUNTING BUT IRRESISTIBLE CALL INTO THE POP DARKNESS THAT CULMINATES WITH THE LYRIC “I’VE GOT THE PERFECT LITTLE COFFIN FOR YOU.” “IT’S VERY ABSTRACT, BUT BASICALLY IT’S LIKE ‘OH, YOU THINK YOU CAN LEAVE ME, BUT I’M GOING TO BE A NEON SIGN FLASHING IN YOUR MIND ALL THE TIME,” BULLOCK SAYS WITH A LAUGH.
AND FINALLY, THE SET FINISHES IN A MELODIC MAELSTROM, WITH THE WHOLE BAND JUMPING FROM A CLIFF OF ‘80S POWER POP AND FREE FALLING TO AN OCEAN OF LOVE BELOW. THE ONLY QUESTION IS, WHO’S FALLING FOR WHOM?
“‘DEEP SEA DIVER’ STARTED OFF AS A TYPICAL LOVE SONG, BUT AS I SPENT MORE TIME WITH IT, I REALIZED IT WAS MORE OF A LOVE SONG TO MYSELF,” BULLOCK EXPLAINS. “IT’S GOING TO THE DEEP END OF YOUR OWN SOUL TO TELL YOURSELF ‘HEY, I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU.’ YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH YOURSELF FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE YOUR BEST FRIEND.” “I HAD NO IDEA OF THAT, AND THAT’S WHY I LOVE MUSIC SO MUCH,” OHLBAUM ADMITS. “TO ME IT’S JUST A LOVE SONG ABOUT THE MOMENT YOU PLUNGE IN, BUT THIS IS PROBABLY THE LYRIC THAT GETS ME THE MOST.”
“THIS ONE HITS ME HARD, TOO,” BODLEY SAYS. “JULIA IS ONE OF THE MOST PASSIONATE, LOVE-INSPIRED PEOPLE I’VE EVER MET, AND SHE WANTS HER RELATIONSHIPS TO BE DEEP. I ALWAYS ENVISION THIS SONG AS JULIA’S DESIRE TO HAVE THAT KIND OF LOVE – SHE’S WILLING TO GO ALL IN.”
ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, THAT’S WHAT GROWING UP IS DEAD MARKS FOR THE FOXIES – THE MOMENT THEY DECIDED TO GO ALL IN. AND WHAT COULD BE MORE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL THAN THAT? “IF YOU WANT TO COME AND TELL US OUR RECORD IS NOT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL BECAUSE IT’S QUANTIZED OR THERE’S CLICK TRACKS OR WHATEVER, YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU WANT,” OHLBAUM SAYS. “BUT THEN YOU TRY TO BLOW MY MIND WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENT. IT’S ABOUT BEING BRAVE, THAT’S THE MOST ROCK ‘N’ ROLL THING.
Come Outside
Much like close friends, we lean on records when we need them. They comfort us, console us, change our moods, and cheer us up. In similar fashion, The BRKN will be there for you. The Denver trio—Jacob Cade [vocals, guitar], Mike Bokenkamp [drums], and MJ Younkers [guitar]—wrap energetic pop in warm synths, straddling punk, alternative, indie rock, and electronic all at once. At the same time, ponderous and poignant lyrics seamlessly tie the vision together. After independently amassing hundreds of thousands of streams and receiving acclaim from American Songwriter, New Noise Magazine, and more, the band issue an invitation on their 2021 independent EP, Come Outside.
“We want you to know we’re going through the same things you are, and we’re your friends from far away,” exclaims Jacob. “I’m so passionate about music because it’s the only thing that made me feel less alone. When you’re sad or alienated, music will be there.”
As the story goes, Jacob and Mike originally met in church. Jamming together in worship group, they bonded over not just music, but skating as well. Jacob initially made a name for himself with a series of solo releases as he played on stacked festival bills and collaborated with the likes of Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger in the studio.
The BRKN released their debut EP No. 3 in early 2020. Among numerous fan favorites, “Your Existence” amassed over 129K Spotify streams.
MJ came into the picture after being asked to tour with the band as a guitarist. After one date the world went into quarantine due to Covid-19. At that point MJ was asked to join the band full time and with the new lineup came a new musical direction. The BRKN kicked into high gear. Stuck at home and afforded the time to experiment, the three-piece stretched the boundaries of their signature style. Nodding to influences such as Prince, Michael Jackson, and The 1975, they seamlessly integrated synths into their sonic palette as they worked out of Jacob’s cozy bedroom studio.
“For as synth-y and poppy as the sound is, rock always finds its way into what we do,” Jacob smiles.
The BRKN brought those initial ideas to Nashville where they finished up the EP with producer Mason Maxwell. They paved the way for Come Outside with “Be Cool,” “Calm Down,” and “Lovers.” On the single “Lost Boy,” the musicians perfect the balance between neon keys and thick rhythms as Jacob’s voice echoes on the dancefloor-ready hook. Right out of the gate, New Noise Magazine described it as “filled with great grooves, tight production, and melodic pop charm.”
“I was inspired by The Lost Boys movie,” Jacob elaborates. “The song goes in a bunch of different directions. It’s my kind of love story because the girl falls in love with a vampire. They don’t stay together. Every time he sees her, he gets the same feeling of a broken heart though.”
Meanwhile, “Fake Love” struts forward on a wild and uncontainable guitar riff before snapping back into another bombastic refrain. “It’s my thought process on people who want to be your friend for untrue reasons,” Jacob says.
On the other end of the spectrum, “Therapy Session” moves like a sunny and upbeat bop but cuts much deeper. “It’s written as a conversation about why love is not going well for me,” Jacob adds. “Our vibe is ultimately fun, but nihilistic.”
That singular spirit becomes cemented in the EP title, Come Outside.
“When we were in Nashville, I was having a bad day,” Jacob admits. “I sat outside, cracked a beer, and looked up at the stars. My thoughts got louder. I asked, ‘Why am I here?’ So, I opened the sliding door and yelled to Mike and MJ, ‘Come outside!’ I set up three chairs and told them about my whole life and why it led me to creating in brutally honest detail. It was where all the songs came from.”
By opening up in these songs, The BRKN present the kind of human connection you’d only forge with your closest friends.
"Having these songs done and ready to go out into the world is so exciting. The work and time we’ve put into all of them is reflected in the final products. Each song is an expression of an emotion that we have each felt, so playing the songs is a fun cathartic experience that I look forward to people connecting to. Music is a wonderful expression of feelings that can’t be said. I can’t wait for people to listen to all of these and to feel those emotions that are baked into each song," says MJ.
“I just really hope they make a difference in people’s lives. I hope they inspire, comfort, and give life to those who hear them,” adds Mike.
“When you hear this, I’d love for you to find peace,” Jacob leaves off. “I also want you to know you’re not alone. Everything is going to be alright. So, we’re giving you music to enjoy life to.”
