Bodega have spoken to about their new “proper rock” album ‘All Inside Aquarium’, their quest to be “a band that is without limitations”, and the experience of recording outside New York for the first time.
The NYC outfit release their fourth full-length effort today (Friday October 9), following on from 2024’s ‘Our Brand Could Be Yr Life’. Produced in Leeds, the collection features recent singles ‘Weather Me’, ‘Pick Up The Check’ and ‘Literary World’. Speaking to , frontman Ben Hozie described the latter as “one of the most didactic songs in our repertoire”.
The record’s melodic title track serves as Bodega’s “attempt at an existential anthem”, with the group proudly shunning the persistent ‘post-punk’ tag in their current chapter. “I never thought of us as a post-punk band,” Hozie said. “I just thought of us as a conceptual rock band.”
Check out ‘s full interview with the vocalist and guitarist below, where he also discusses why “our world doesn’t recognise the value of the artist”, the global success of fellow New Yorkers Geese (and those ‘psyop’ allegations), the Ed Sheeran–Macklemore saga, what to expect from Bodega’s upcoming tour, and more.
: Hi, Ben. You’ve said the record is a love letter to your teenage self – how do those years make their way onto the songs?
“The first rock music I really fell in love with was ’90s alternative rock, especially Jane’s Addiction. I wanted to make music that would make me feel the magic conjured by Jane’s and other bands from their era, when punk ideology was exploding into a more psychedelic and spiritual type of sound world. On this LP, we decided to make proper rock without the ‘indie’ modifier and do things that are out of vogue in the current landscape, such as coupling open-hearted lyrics with technical guitar solos.”
In your words, ‘Literary World’ isn’t an argument for “apolitical art”…
“The 21st century has seen an explosion in political consciousness where most seem to be deeply informed on global injustice and the increasing wealth gap between ‘elites’ and everybody else. Despite this political explosion, abetted by tech, there are few solutions. Drowning in the sea of personal branding and neoliberalism, it is hard to imagine a world where things could be different.
“This is where poets are needed. Our world doesn’t recognise the value of the artist. How many times have you heard your musician or writer friends denigrate themselves as being ‘selfish’? Through their language and gestures, they are opening up new ways of conceiving Being and are thus directly creating the world of tomorrow. The same is true of critics. The real critic doesn’t merely quantify the value of the best cultural products (ie. ‘Two thumbs up’), but directs attention towards the future they have in heart and mind.
“We consciously chose to avoid didactic social critique songs on this record; we wanted to explore a more psychological type of writing. However, theory never quite gets at what you really want, and ‘Literary World’ is perhaps one of the most didactic songs in our repertoire.”
How else are you tackling the big themes and world issues on the album?
“Each song presents its own specific problems and solutions. ‘Combustible’ and ‘Backbeaten’ are portraits of bitter rock and roll lifers who know not where to put all of their yearning energy. ‘Weather Me’ is about a mind scrambled by information overload. ‘Astro Night Ride’ and ‘Olivia’ are about death and lessons learned from beyond. ‘Pick Up The Check’ is about learning how to think your own thoughts, which is perhaps the hardest thing to achieve and perhaps the goal of life.”
What do you make of the Ed Sheeran-Macklemore saga? Should Ed, and artists in general, be doing more to take a stand?
“The responsibility of a songwriter is only to serve the ideas of the specific song they are working on; that is, of course, separate from the civic or moral responsibility we all share. But Sheeran’s platitude-ridden lyrics betray a sycophantic worldview where nothing matters but power and capital. When you aim to please everyone, you stand for nothing.”
Tell us about your standout moments from ‘All Inside Aquarium’?
“My favourite track on the record is ‘Astro Night Ride’. My mother passed away several years ago but has continued to visit me in dreams where we are at a space station theme park riding a roller coaster, screaming and laughing through the astral track. The arrangement of the track mirrors the layout of this cosmic coaster. The slow intro is meant to evoke a coaster’s chain lift, but soon the band speeds up, descending the first drop and changes keys, palette, and tempo, floating out in the woods and on the high-after-the-fear comedown brake run.”
The album is more melody-driven – is this a step towards full pop supremacy?
“To save rock going the way of niche jazz, I’d love to see more bands writing hooks to compete with Top 40 radio. This doesn’t mean that groups need to ‘water down’ their outré ideas; pop shouldn’t be equated to a lack of exploration or sophistication but rather music with an emphasis on communication and spontaneity.”
You recorded the record in Leeds – how does British music resonate with you, and what do you know about the Leeds/northern scene specifically?
“We chose Leeds to work with producer Matt Peel. He has a wonderful studio called the Nave that was built in a deconsecrated church. This was the first time we made a record where all five of us lived together for a length of time away from home. Of course, we are familiar with the rich musical legacy of Leeds art punk, having studied the curriculum of Gang Of Four, Delta 5 and The Mekons.”
Are there any favourite acts from up north? You’ve previously mentioned The Stone Roses as an inspiration…
“That first Stone Roses LP has always been an inspiration; it is simultaneously evocative of ’60s rock and future-looking while exploding with yearning and joy. The Fall has been a key model for Bodega, especially on our earlier records. There are also quite a few new northern groups we are fond of, including English Teacher and Adult DVD.”
How much does a location change impact the sound and mood of an album? This was your first time recording outside NYC…
“To be fair, we wrote all of the songs in New York before heading over to track them – but location does impact the mood of recording. We separated all of the tracking into two lengthy sessions – one in the dead of winter, and one at the peak of summer. Funnily enough, we tracked most of the euphoric summertime jams in the winter and the introspective drones and ballads during the summer. Perhaps the heart is always longing for what has passed or is yet to come.”
How does it feel seeing fellow New Yorkers Geese make huge waves at home and across the pond?
“It’s exciting to see people treat a new band with the same reverence past generations had for The Smiths or Radiohead. It’s fun to witness.”
You told us almost a decade ago that the band’s formation was “very organic”. What do you make of the ‘psyop’ allegations against Geese?
“Misinformation and AI are our new reality. If they were used to get a president elected, it only makes sense they would eventually break the career of buzz bands. Tech and misinformation is clearly a massive issue that is far larger than Geese-gate; Geese are an interesting group and certainly a lot of the criticism towards them from other bands comes across as veiled career jealousy. The real issue isn’t whether a rock group is ‘authentic’ but how corporations are using tech to scam and manipulate on a mass scale.
“Homo sapiens are social creatures and are far more susceptible to herd mentality than we’d like to admit. All of our taste has been shaped by advertising – even those with the most avant palette. I genuinely love all of the bands that I now call my favourites, but my first encounter with all of their music certainly was the by-product of either media saturation or ‘This band is important, and if you want to have good taste you must check them out’ conversation. I have to confess I am also a sheep.”
How has music changed since you emerged in the 2010s?
“In between 2010 and 2013, when I first started playing music seriously, I became disillusioned with NYC’s music scene. It seemed to enact the corporate world I thought we were supposed to be in stark opposition to. Musicians seemed solely focused on creating strong ‘personal brands’ – a term that seemed to spread like a virus as social media became more widespread. These ‘b(r)ands’ curated ‘alternative’ stylistic sonic and visual signifiers, but conceptually reinforced the aesthetic and political status quo of self-centred late capitalism.
“Perhaps I was naive and rock culture had always been this way, but I was seeking something more intellectually and spiritually profound from music. The entire Bodega project has been a reaction to that initial crisis of faith in the rock apparatus.”
You’ve dismissed the ‘post-punk’ label in favour of being a “proper rock band”. How do you define this?
“A band that is without limitations; we see our music as being in conversation with all of the various strands of rock and roll. ‘Indie’ rock is really a class thing, anyway. The difference between, say, Sonic Youth and KoRn is slimmer than we’re taught. They both experimented with guitars and tried to riff as honestly as they could; one projects MoMA prestige, and the other Middle America anti-intellectualism. But both groups have made music that speaks directly to my soul, and each have their virtues and pitfalls. We aim to be a band that doesn’t get so hung up on genre signifying.”
How were your recent shows in Europe and London? What can fans expect when you return to the UK next month?
“The recent shows have been ecstatic; we never play the same setlist twice and are always seeking spontaneity, trying to highlight the specific moment (at this moment) through Brechtian banter or jammy musical improvisation.”
Any parting words of wisdom?
“The mirror smiles back if you smile first.”
‘All Inside Aquarium’ is out now. Bodega play headline shows in Manchester, London and Leeds next month – buy tickets here.