“I STARTED DOING BENDS AS A JOKE TO MAKE MY FRIENDS LAUGH!"

Post-punk trio Omni are masters of minimalism, but guitarist Frankie Broyles is having fun with classic rock moves and ZZ Top-inspired tones

Frankie Broyles, the guitarist and leader of Omni, is a titan of post-punk minimalism in the modern era. He just didn't plan it that way.Before he formed Omni with bassist/vocalist Philip Frobos in 2011, Frankie had experienced mild regional success throughout the Atlanta area with indie rockers Balkans, and then served for two years with perpetually genre-confused legends Deerhunter.

It was only when he and Frobos began writing songs together that Frankie began channeling influences from post-punk legends such as Wire, Television and Talking Heads.

"I guess the stuff we were listening to lent itself to a minimalistic approach," he says. "But we never intended to be a post-punk band; it just happened. We were listening to a lot of older bands, and even though we never meant to be post-punk, maybe it was inevitable."

Following three outstanding albums in Deluxe (2016), Multi-task (2017) and Networker (2019), the new record Souvenir is aptly titled - primed to be a memento for the keepers of the flame and newbies alike. At the heart of it all is Frankie's fretwork. And despite his calm demeanor, he is determined to push Omni to greater heights.

"The plan going forward is to keep trying to improve," he says. "We want to improve with every song. That drives me to keep making music. Wanting to improve, and the idea of chasing the perfect song, while never catching it. I'll keep chasing perfection, but I hope I never catch it because what would be the point, then? We'll spread this music to a wider audience, and hopefully they'll dig it as much as we do."

What first drew you to post-punk?