OxenFree – “Machine” (audio) (premiere)

OxenFree’s latest single, “Machine”, demonstrates the Brooklyn outfit’s ability to create music that deftly walks the line between tuneful and angry, channeling primitive angst but doing so with musical sophistication. Culled from the group’s Another Land EP, due out 13 October, the song’s dance between the primal and the evolved isn’t entirely accidental, as member Jeff Doyle points out.

“That song is a reflection of fear and a fight against automaton, driven by money, god, distorted sense of self. This is the most personal song on the record and also the one that took the longest to work through, from the first demo we worked on through a handful of inspired changes that Andrija [Tokic, producer] brought into the studio,” he says. “And in the end, it’s my favorite too.”

The group has said that working with Tokic, whose previous credits include Alabama Shakes and Hurray For the Riff Raff, helped find the middle ground between the group’s ambitions and abilities while also encouraging experimentation.