The Evolution of BLK ODYSSY & Their New Single ‘XXX’

BLK ODYSSY defies genre categorization, with their new single they prove their inability to be boxed by a genre. Propelled by band leader, composer, producer, wordsmith and vocalist Juwan Elcock and guitarists Alejandro Rios, the band released their new single ‘XXX’ featuring Wiz Khalifa venturing into new sonic territory. Renowned for their skill in blending genres, the band seamlessly combines jazz, funk, hip-hop, neo-soul, and R&B throughout their first two albums. Their venture into hyper-punk and alt-pop represents an exhilarating new phase in their musical journey. 

As they are gearing up for the release of their third album this summer, BLK ODYSSY offers a glimpse into their evolving sound with the release of their latest single, “XXX.”. From the lyrics to composition, BLK ODYSSY has set themselves apart from many of their contemporaries with their raw authenticity. Departing from their previous sound, the band ventures into a hyper punk/alt-pop/indie sound. Earlier in the year they dropped “I Want You” which gives influences of post punk and pop rock. I was able to sit down with frontman, Juwan, to talk about their latest single “XXX” featuring Wiz Khalifa, their musical journey, and the upcoming album. 

LISTEN TO “WANT YOU”

I first came across BLK ODYSSY in 2022 at their performance in Los Angeles at Black Market Flea. They performed their debut album, Blk Vintage, which explores themes of the Black experience including love, lust, and trauma. The band has a beautiful way of warping reality and pulling you into their world, and making time stop. The band’s use of instruments in their music is pivotal to their performances and the quality of their records. After this introduction, I became a fan instantly. It’s so refreshing to see musicians embrace traditional instrumentation in a culture where digital music has taken over. I love that BLK ODYSSY composes original work not utilizing samples as crutches to create impactful records. Their first two albums, Blk Vintage and Diamonds & Freaks, showcased their ability to seamlessly blend nostalgic vibes with contemporary sounds, demonstrating their versatility and creative prowess.

They teased their new single at an electrifying performance on From The Block at an Austin skatepark which went viral as folks are excited to see Black artists reclaiming rock. Personally, I haven’t been able to get the song out of my head since. The latest release has sparked my anticipation for their ever evolving sound. I appreciate their love of experimentation and their commitment to not bending the knee to a single genre/sound. This new single gives hyper punk and pop rock resonance, fulfilling their Black alt fans dreams. 

“XXX” transports listeners back to the early 2000s punk rock renaissance, reminiscent of MTV’s pop-rock era. The song tells the story of a professional yearner who’s committed to fulfilling the desires of the girl he dreams of. To masterfully embrace this new sound, Juwan had to embody the character of this emo kid who’s invisible to the girl of his dreams. With its infectious chorus and compelling storytelling, the song captivates with a blend of nostalgia and modernity. BLK ODYSSY masterfully adopts elements of the past while infusing their unique style, creating a composition that resonates deeply. The eerie background vocals add depth and atmosphere, enhancing the overall sonic experience. You can always count on the band to serve elements of psychedelic surrealism.

As a fan of BLK ODYSSY, I found working with Wiz on this track felt more like a business move than a musical/creative decision. Especially as they branch out to pop-punk/hyper punk it feels that to reach a wider more diverse audience, you need tracks like this to become a certified radio hit. However, don’t let the Wiz Khalifa feature throw you off, this record is still a banger and has been viral online way before Wiz hopped on the track. I had a chat with Juwan to understand why they made this choice and learn more about this new era for BLK ODYSSY. 

Q: As a BLK ODYSSY fan, I’m here for the new sound. I love, love, love XXX. But my first question is, why Wiz? What was behind that decision making and collaboration with him on that song?

A: When we were making this record, we wanted to really bring the nostalgia of a sound that I feel is missing in modern urban music today. We always try to meld genres together. And this particular record is a mesh between, hyper punk and alternative pop. So I just thought it would be interesting to get that sound, mixed with Wiz who brings your modern day hip hop to the table and continue to bridge gaps in genres like we like we try to always do.

Q: I know you guys are known for definitely bending genres and doing a lot of fusions with both ‘Want You’ and ‘XXX’ you’re obviously leaning more to an alt pop/punk sound. What made you want to go in this direction for this specific project?

A: There’s a lot of things that prompted us to do that. To be completely honest, we felt a little bit boxed in by our fan base. We had a very distinct sound when coming into this. We had our first release in 2021, and it was very ingrained and neo soul and funk. Pretty much all of the Sonics that we had lived in, although our influences went way beyond that. We tried to tease that a bit in early records but yeah, we saw a ceiling to what we were doing. We felt like we needed to take an aggressive step, especially after Diamonds & Freaks to prove not only ourselves, but to the people that wanted to follow BLK ODYSSY to see that we couldn’t be boxed into a genre. That was the inspiration behind going in this direction. Also, it’s just a liberating sound for us. I’ve always liked rock music and I’ve always liked listening to things that weren’t necessarily like those around me when I was growing up. So I’m just tapping into different influences at this point and really enjoying the process of doing that too.

Q: This sonic leap feels very organic and authentic. Black kids up 1000. As you’re broadening your audience with this new project, new people are going to be exposed to you and your sound. What songs from your discography would you recommend people listen to and in what order, if they found you through “Want You” or “XXX”.

A: I mean, it’s tough to say because  you’d go back to the previous projects and there’s not very much that  says this is where they were going next. I think we tried to plant a bit of it with “Orange Wine” on our previous record and “Big Bad Wolf” on our debut album. Both of those had pop elements and a Big Bad Wolf had punky elements as well. And yeah, I just feel like that was what bridged this gap, so if people were listening from our newest stuff to our original stuff, I would say that’s probably a good segue because we tried to make those changes seamless within the record.

Q: In general, what has been one of your favorite songs to record and work on?

A: I would probably say XXX. While I was in a studio, I was practicing what actors would consider like method acting, where I was very much trying to embody the character of this album and like, be that person while I was in the studio. So that the emotions came through as genuine and as possible. That meant changing my vocal tone or changing my attitude when I was going in the studio, so that I could really nail the part. For us like this is like cinema, and we want the theatrics within these records to be convincing to the people that are listening to them. So I mean, it was all like fun for me because I love film and I love the acting element of this. When I was in the studio, while recording a part that was more angsty and a kid was yelling in it. I’m in the booth and I’m yelling and in between takes I’m not breaking character- I think we have BTS videos of me really getting into this character and just, you know, embodying the whole role. So I had a great time recording this record. Again, it was really challenging and I had times where I was very frustrated and argued with the team internally about directions musically, but you know, I think what we ended up with, we’re really proud of.

Q: As a fan of your music I’ve dreamed of collaborations of BLK ODYSSY collabs with Yussef Dayes. Paramore, EKKSTACY, Erykah Badu, Will Smith, and so many more. Who do you dream of collaborating with?

A: So many like a lot of the ones that you said would be insane. I’ve always been a fan of Willo and Yussef and many different people. Our sound has evolved and with that, and, who I really want to work with evolves as well and changes. If I’m going based off of this record, you know, it would have been incredible to do some work with like Lana Del Rey or Lenny Kravitz. Willow Smith was definitely on my wish list. I was able to work with Joey Bada$$ on this record, who I’ve been wanting to work with for a while, and I didn’t necessarily think that that was going to happen on this record but cool, it was great. It was definitely a surprise for me. I never thought that I would work with him, but that was great. The list goes on. I think Jack White would be super tough to work with and obviously, my being I think Andre 3000. And the reason I say that is because Outcasts was still very much a you know, expiration on his record, although we have like a little bit more edgy, you know, tones to the record, structurally and like, as far as how the song sound chord wise, you know, songs like Roses and  Hey Yeah was still like very much influential to this phase of black honestly this era black obviously. 

Q: And I’ve noticed that you guys move with a lot of intention with how you produce and write your music? What did the recording process for this specific album look like in terms of intention moving through which songs and etc.

A: The first thing to note is that it pretty much happened chronologically. We did ‘Want You’ first before we went on tour last year, and when we came back we finished the rest of the album in a span of like five months. So it was a pretty short record. But I think it started with understanding the story, understanding the characters within the story. Really like studying their characteristics. A lot of this was inspired by films like just watching different movies and studying how people act and just trying to bring that to life through audio. So once we did that, I just got into a character and went to town with that. I’s good to note that like, for people that know, Blk Odyssy I think that’d be very surprised by this record, because pretty much throughout the entire record, with the exception of maybe one or two songs. I kind of have like a voice character that doesn’t sound anything like mine. People will be like, that’s not really like you’re not giving people anything to hang on to. But that’s the thing people should hang on to the concepts of our records, not necessarily how you hear my voice or how you hear a guitar or how you hear the production because that’s going to be ever changing. But the concept is what we want our fanbase to marry. I embody this teenage angsty, emo kind of vocal. And I had to figure out a way to make that sound genuine and make it not sound like a joke, you know, I’m saying so. That was a good part of the process. Figuring out what their vocal tone sounds like. And then figuring out different ways to create dynamics within this production because I had always done hip hop, r&b stuff, so now I’m moving into the pop space with alternative vibes. We have to figure out different tones. And as a producer, I just say like, Okay, this is how you make this sound happier. That’s how you make the sound darker. This is how you raise the energy in this part. So that was a process, you know, and I’ll go through the same process on our next record. When we change sounds again. 

The band is not one to shy away from addressing uncomfortable topics. In their freshman album Blk Vintage, they transformed the pain, triumph, beauty, and adversity from the personal experiences of Juwan and the collective Black experience, and turned it into a record that echoes liberation through psychedelic surrealism addressing social justice and mental health. Their new punk era is not far from it. At their 2024 SWXSW show, the band took time out of their sets to share their stance on Palestine as they wore Keffiyehs on stage. As a band that created an album about Black liberation, it easy and aligned for them to speak up against the genocide Palestinians are facing. Because punk aesthetics and sounds are marking a mainstream resurgence, I had to ask Juwan about his thoughts on the absence of punk values in the new age adoption.

Q: We are in a space right now in music/culture where punk and alternative culture/aesthetics are starting to become mainstream or in better words more culturally acceptable and sought out, but the values of punkness are not being embraced the same way. As you’re moving into this era, what synergies are there with punk values and the band’s?

A: People that knew BLK ODYSSY before, based off of our first record, know that one of the biggest things that we’re rooted in is activism. Although this record might not like, particularly speak to it, it could be a segue for us to get back into that. When I’m performing I’m gonna talk about whatever I feel is on my chest, in any capacity, whether that’s South by Southwest and talking about Gaza, and whether it’s social injustices around the country. It’s always been what we do, because that’s who we are. We’ve always used our platform to speak up. This sound definitely has a deeper meaning than what this record is. So, in lieu of that, when I get on stage, I’ll always find a way to speak while we’re in front of people about things that are actually important

Punk and its values are here to stay no matter how many folks want to co-opt our aesthetics, our ethics never die. Excited to see Blk Odyssy lean into a sound and movement who’s ethos resonate with them so well. I was able to get a sneak peak of the album and I’m afraid Blk Odyssy will be 3/3 certified. Alt Black kids up 1000.BLK ODYSSY’s music and visuals exist in a realm of surrealism taking us through journeys of real life issues and consolidating them into alternative universes. In the multiverse that is BLK ODYSSY, this new era is bringing forth the unsetting and alluring embodiment of indie punk rock while embodying their true identity- limitless and uncontained.

Q: I was able to listen to half of the upcoming album, and let me say this y’all are going 3/3 with certified records. Let’s give them a sneak peak into this new album and era. What concepts and themes do you want your audience to walk away from with this new album?

A: That’s a good question, because there are commonalities and through lines between all of our projects. The storyline has an element of surrealism and psychedelia. I think all of our records possess that to some degree. And, um, you know, that’s something that’s still here. This one is a fictional story. And it’s definitely surreal, like it feels like one of those crazy shows that you’ll see on Netflix- always bending reality. The character spends a lot of this album in a dream state, but he doesn’t know he’s dreaming. He’s interacting with things on this record that only exist in the subconscious. So surrealism is the main theme of it.

Check out ‘XXX’ featuring Wiz Khalifa, available on all streaming platforms! I can’t wait for their upcoming album dropping this summer. You better believe I’m gearing up for their tour too! Keep up with all things BLK ODYSSY by following them on social media @blkodyssy.