If the weight of the world has got you feeling sideways, you’re not alone. This sentiment is the driving force behind What’s The Deal With Time?, the third album by Polish indie-poppers Oxford Drama. Inspired by the never-ending mazes of modern technology and society, the duo – consisting of Małgorzata Dryjanska and Marcin Mrówka – transforms crushing emotions and uncertainties into a musical experience that transcends the turmoil.

Highlights of the concept album include “Not My Friend,” which is described as a “therapy session” in a track – its depth is punctuated by silky struts of guitar and Dryjanska’s warm vocals. “This is the Internet” strikes a refreshing balance, poking fun at algorithmic dependencies without veering into condescension. Then there’s “San Junipero,” inspired by the Black Mirror episode of the same name – a haunting piano ballad that shines through the pointed commentary, speaking to the subject of romanticizing the past and blurring the lines of what’s real.

In Oxford Drama’s persistence through heavy realities with flecks of optimism and wit, the band uncovers worlds of possibility. There is so much to be said about navigating the “today,” and so much more to be dreamt about tomorrow. We caught up with Małgorzata to chat about What’s The Deal With Time?, and covered everything from Seinfeld to the winning life accomplishment that is taking out the trash.

Rebecca L. Judd for Also Cool: Hi there Oxford Drama – thank you for your time, and for sharing your art with us at Also Cool! What's The Deal With Time? is a stunning album, congratulations on the release. To start, I'd love to learn more about both of you – what kinds of musical backgrounds did you come from, and how did you find each other?

Małgorzata Dryjanska of Oxford Drama: Thank you so much! Marcin and I met almost 10 years ago during an English language competition, where kids from different high schools in Wrocław had to prepare a speech about youth. Both [of] us were the only ones that had musical themes in our presentations, [and] we felt that we might have a lot in common. We were right about that, but it took almost two years of Marcin persuading me into forming a band. Our iPods matched, we both loved Blur, and because Marcin knew I liked to sing, he wanted to try to make music with me. I finally agreed, [and] it was worth it!

Also Cool: What's The Deal With Time? is a concept album, exploring plenty of complicated subject matter such as the pressing weight of nostalgia and societal relationships with technology. What does making a statement on these topics mean to you, and what is it that convinced you to do so?

Oxford Drama: As both Marcin and I are on a mission to understand the world, and especially nowadays — to understand the modern world — we felt intrigued by the idea of writing a concept album as both the observers and the receivers, actively taking part in the modern mess. 

We're kind of old souls, in the sense that we don't really find ourselves understanding every aspect of technology. We want to get our music out there in the world, so by wanting that we have to be visible in our social media feed. But we don't want you to be bored or frustrated by constantly seeing our faces, so we're very careful about choosing what we want to post and how we want to post it. 

And that's only us as professional users of social media – privately, we're also not happy with loads of ads trying to get our attention, [or] how we're living in our own bubbles and not always seeing other perspectives. These are the subjects that are frequent in our conversations, so we thought we might want to take those themes and present them in the form of pop songs.

AC: I took a special liking to "Bachelor of Arts" – it struck a relatable and tender contrast between all the world's possibilities and an internal lack of direction. Could you elaborate on this track, its formulation and its intentions – particularly within the context of the rest of the album?

OD: The theme of "Bachelor of Arts" started more as a joke. We just started writing some songs within the subjects we wanted to elaborate on, already knowing it's a concept album, and I [was thinking] that I'm just one of many in the modern world feeling [like] “...I'm not a kid anymore, but I'm kind of lost as an adult. I get work done, but man, sometimes I just need a hug and some peace and quiet.” 

I think that feeling of being lost is so universal, but I wanted to sketch it in a way [where], by listening to the words, you can see the picture. You imagine that person, the protagonist, and it's so vivid that you can also guess the surroundings. We wanted to be free in the interpretation, because in a way the person from "Bachelor of Arts" might also be the one in [other tracks like] “This is The Internet”... we don't know that. 

But what I think most of the songs on What's The Deal With Time? have in common is the humour that I think keeps us sane. Just like in “Bachelor of Arts,” I sometimes think I should get a medal for taking out the trash, but I know it's not going to happen. But yeah, I sometimes deserve it (laughs).

AC: It's mentioned that your album is inspired by Seinfeld – the cheeky reference in the title definitely gives that away! Can you elaborate on Seinfeld as an influence? What are some other cultural influences behind What's The Deal With Time?

OD: I knew this day was bound to happen! The story is kind of strange. My parents introduced me to Seinfeld when I was a kid, and I remember watching their favourite episodes and remembering the funny lines … and basically being in love with every element, creating the atmosphere of New York in the 90s. 

And so [that nostalgia] was always in the back of my head – Seinfeld, my love for Saturday Night Live and movies with Chevy Chase. My favourite video is the one with [Chevy Chase] for Paul Simon's “You Can Call Me Al.” Humour for me helps in dealing with the modern world, but I also love lyrics that are about playing with words, and have some irony or sarcasm in them. David Byrne singing about peanut butter, or Ezra Koenig singing about a falafel shop just fascinate me. So on What's The Deal With Time? I didn't want to present such important topics deadly serious, I wanted to add some lightness to them by adding some absurdity. And that humour in everyday situations reminds me of how I remembered Seinfeld as a kid.

Most definitely Black Mirror's episode “San Junipero” influenced us to write [the] song of the same title. Both of us understood the plot differently but we both shared similar emotions which the episode evoked in us.

[Lastly], this might be controversial, [but] U2 also inspired us in a way. In the fall of 2018, we went to Berlin to see the guys from U2 live, and the time spent in this beautiful city inspired us in ways we couldn't even imagine. We talked a lot about the history of Europe, about how Berlin inspired U2's Achtung Baby and Zooropa, but also Bowie's Low and “Heroes.” Despite knowing all of the albums really well before, this mixture worked so well that our heads started creating a lot of ideas, and then What's The Deal With Time? happened. [That] Berlin era is just full of great ideas.

AC: What's The Deal With Time was released into the world a couple of months ago – how have you celebrated since then?

OD: We finally binge-watched Six Feet Under! 

We're extremely happy with the response [to the album], and as perfectionists, it's the first time after the release that we still wouldn't change a thing, really. There are some gigs planned for the summer that we're extremely excited about. And now we have the time to start working on the new record, because there are a lot of ideas that are waiting to be taken care of – hooray!

AC: Thank you so much for your time, Oxford Drama. What's The Deal With Time? will be on loop for me for many long summer nights to come. What can we next expect from you?

We're excited to play [that] new material, because it's so much fun. Also, I guess we're getting back to the studio – that is our living room – to make the next record, as some ideas are waiting [to come out] and we kind of don't know how to relax, so…

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH TIME?

Released on March 26, 2021

1. Not My Friend

2. Too Busy

3. Bachelor of Arts

4. San Junipero

5. This Is The Internet

6. You Only See What You Like

7. Offline

8. Retromania

9. Episode Couples

Music by Małgorzata Dryjanska and Marcin Mrówka

Lyrics by Małgorzata Dryjanska

Produced by Marcin Mrówka

Drum recordings (tracks 7, 9) produced by Jacek Maciołek

Mixed and mastered by Michał Kupicz

Cover design by Hanna Cieślak

Band photos by Nelly Valverde

All rights reserved Oxford Drama, 2021

What’s The Deal With Time? is now available to stream and purchase – take a listen here!

Oxford Drama

Bandcamp | Soundcloud | YouTube

Instagram | Facebook | Spotify | Apple Music

Rebecca L. Judd (she/they) is the features editor of Also Cool Mag. She writes and creates out of her studio apartment in Ottawa, kept company by vivid dreams and a cuddly grey kitty named Dora.

This interview was conducted over email, and has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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