Polyphia: ‘Our Taste, Style Is Always Changing'

The American eclectic rock band’s guitarist and founder Scott LePage on coming to India, standing out and how they plan to top songs like ‘G.O.A.T.’

- Anurag Tagat

AT THE recently held annual music trade event of National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) in California, the lead duo of Texas rock band Polyphia were served with a notice for being too loud at their demo booth and shut down. “I think it was funny enough for us to post about it,” guitarist Scott LePage says over the phone from Dallas.

The band – who have been making lush, math-rock that borrows from prog, metal and hip-hop since 2010 – have a certain humor about them that’s best evident if you head over to their Instagram account, which is where we found out about the NAMM incident. One user comments, “Sometimes I wonder if this is a band business page or a shitpost page.” The best reply says, “I mean, Polyphia is made up entirely of shitposters who play like hell, so why not both?”

Internet humor aside, playing like hell is exactly what has helped Polyphia become one of instrumental rock’s most important bands right now. Their latest album New Levels New Devils, which released in 2018, was widely hailed as one of the freshest sounds on the scene, featuring exuberant yet complex rhythm and melody that retained groove. They worked with hip-hop producers like Judge and Y2K on New Levels New Devils, which LePage calls a “really interesting process.” He adds, “It brings that new quality to the table. It helps us branch out into other genres and know how it works and we really get to know what we can do with a song. It’s possible to combine these two (elements) and make it sound badass.”