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After ending the year opening for Magdalena Bay´s US-Canada tour, LA-based artist Oxis (Latin for ¨tuna¨) is kicking off the year with the release of her album, Oxis 8, which is the eight project she’s released in less than three years. This series of albums, which feature pictures of progressively tinier fish as their covers, are all perfectly marked with her signature minimalist, but lively beats and equally minimalist lyrics that hit the young adult soul.

You have likely seen videos of her online. Part of a growing wave of female producers and musicians like DJ Dave or Julip, who bridge the gap between music and coding, Oxis blends videos of her playing her songs with sharply coded lines and coordinate blocks that track her movements. It is eye-catching to say the least, yet in combination with her signature blue guitar and sound mixer, which is usually perched on an improvised stack of books, there is a certain DIY feeling that feels relatable. The combination adds an extra edge to her videos and places her as a master of using her computer to the maximum of its potential, both on visual and musical fronts.

With Oxis 8, we dive further into her fish-filled world and get a taste of some of the intense feelings that come with growing up .“The pain and beauty of it all is that nothing is constant, and when something feels sensitive and powerful you have to bite at it quickly, or else it disappears,” she says. Her lyrics reflect that feeling exactly, but words aside, Oxis´ talent for making allegories between what she says and the beats she uses really shines through in this project, making every emotion feel a million times more intense.

If we see Oxis 8 as an eight-course menu at an electric seafood restaurant, then here is what is being served (I apologize to the vegetarians and vegans reading this):

Your appetizer is called ¨Fry,¨ and I desperately need a film's sound supervisor to add it to a coming-of-age movie's soundtrack. It feels equal parts sad and hopeful, which is probably the best way to describe growing up. With lyrics that feel like being lost, but rhythms that feel exciting and celebratory, the song does exactly what it sets out to achieve. Next, you have ¨Guili¨ a song that has a heavier undertone that discusses missing childhood and the hardships of finding your way, yet contrasts everything by adding a very danceable beat.

Ready for your next bite? The third song is called ¨Piranha¨ and it has an intense and ethereal sound that makes you feel like you are in a haze, making it a standout in the album. And much like the rhythm, which plays in a loop, she asks the question ¨How do I turn it off?´ over and over again. I can only assume she is talking about her brain because ¨lowkey same¨. 

Course number four is called ¨Dogfish¨, after two heavy courses, this song allows for a gentle break for your palette, but sadly not for your heart. Although rhythmically the song slows down and feels softer, the lyrics describe the feeling of heartbreak and realizing you are now with a stranger. Next up we have ¨Fingerling¨, a song that has a ghostly feeling to it, and not just because it talks about disappearing, but because the way in which her voice is placed and the intensity of the guitars make you feel like you are inside a haunted house during a séance.

Last course before dessert! This is ¨Poma,¨ a song Charli XCX would approve of for its use of autotune in the best way and is one of the most fun and light songs in the album at least sonically, because the lyrics follow the album´s trend and touch upon not wanting to deal with feelings and hoping that the easy solution will work out. Finally, we have the sweet end to this feast: ¨Onco¨. A song that deals with finding your footing or quite literally anything to hold onto, this search for purpose is captured in one of the most stripped back vocal performances by Oxis and a beat that feels like rainfall, scary, but hopeful - like it will wash your fears away.

Now, I hope your belly isn't too full, but I do hope that after listening to this album your head is swimming with thoughts and your body feels like it just spent the last 23 minutes floating. After all, this is unofficially the year of the fish!

Listen to Oxis 8 below:

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