THE irony isn't lost on Marie "Maz" DeVita that Waax's debut album, Big Grief, is being released just months after the band's own grieving period.
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There's been a fundamental change in the Brisbane post-punk band since they completed Good Grief in January. Lead guitarist and DeVita's co-writer Chris Antolak parted ways with Waax in May, the third line-up change in the five-piece's six-year history.
James Gatling has since replaced Antolak.
"Unfortunately things happen and being in a band is really difficult, it's a pressure cooker," DeVita said. "It just wasn't working anymore and we want the best for him.
"It sucks, but it's what happened, and the album itself is kind of self prophetic in a way because we're grieving the loss of a member. It's hard to pick yourself up and keep going."
However, Waax have picked themselves up and are potentially primed to become Australia's next breakout band.
Big Grief is released on Friday and marks a major progression from Waax's warmly-received EPs Holy Sick (2015) and Wild & Weak (2017).
While previously Waax were renown for their explosive punk energy and DeVita's excitedly-unhinged vocal style, Good Grief exposes new layers of depth and a shift toward a '90s grunge sound.
Among the blistering rage of Ladrador and FU, there's a new-found vulnerability in the acoustic Changing Face as DeVita's voice almost breaks as she sings "you won't, you won't see me around."
"We wanted to broaden our horizons," DeVita said. "You don't want to have any limitations on ourselves.
"We wanted to give everything a go and have something that has different flavours among the record, instead of having the one sound.
"That's a precursor to our future material, we want to have no limitations. We want to do whatever we feel."
Waax, along with the likes of Violent Soho, DZ Deathrays and Dune Rats, have been part of the revival in Brisbane's indie and alternative scene in recent years.
But to take Good Grief to the next level Waax turned to one of the Queensland capital's greatest ever musical products in Bernard Fanning.
The Powderfinger frontman and legendary American producer Nick DiDia (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Powderfinger) recorded the album in Fanning's Byron Bay studio.
DeVita said the biggest thing Fanning brought to the album was making Waax confident enough to be themselves and follow their instincts.
"In terms of songwriting Bernard was incredible to work with," she said. "I was pretty nervous to begin with.
"He helped me bring down a lot of walls. Over time I built up these ideas of what I can and can't do with songwriting and he was like, 'Why can't you do that? Why don't you try this? What's holding you back?'
"I realised there's nothing, really. It's just my own mind."
The album sees DeVita open up about her battles with mental health and body image, which began for the 26-year-old when she was in her early teens.
Waax's profile has skyrocketed in the past year due to Labrador cracking No.88 on last year's Triple J Hottest 100 and even the mainstream media outlets like the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian have taken notice.
Is DeVita ready for the growing attention as the band's focal point?
"It's been a slow incline for us as a band," she said. "All of the sudden it feels like things are really happening, but we've slogged it out so that's kept us really grounded in this process.
"Also as I get older I'm becoming less and less afraid to share more of myself.
"The dichotomy of that is in everyday life I'm quite reserved, so it's weird how I feel more comfortable sharing my deepest darkest feelings with the greater world, but when it comes to one on one or a small group I find it very difficult to discuss those things."
READ MORE: Waax finds strength in Wild & Weak
Anyone who has witnessed Waax live would be surprised to hear DeVita describe herself as reserved. On stage, DeVita is a thrilling spectacle of restless energy.
She admits the live environment causes a transformation.
"The most compelling thing that drew most of us into being in a band and performing is how visceral and incredibly out of this world being on stage can be," she said.
"You can never really create the live environment. Once it's done, it's done. You leave it all on the stage. It's sharing the moment with the audience."
Unfortunately live shows have also led to some unfortunate incidents. In April DeVita alleged she was groped by a fan during a performance at Newcastle's Cambridge Hotel.
At the time DeVita described the incident as "extremely degrading", but it hasn't prevented Waax from returning to the Newcastle West venue on their Good Grief album tour.
"We're in our workplace and this is serious for us," she said. "We're not objects. We're not these intangible things. We've got feelings, we have thoughts and it put a dampener on it for me.
"So I wanted to share that to make a point that this is not acceptable.
"We love the Cambo, love the staff, love the people. So it's no way hindered our want to come back."
Waax return to the Cambridge Hotel on Friday.