Awksymoron: Punny Music and Individuality

Awksymoron /photo by Alison Mop / courtesy of the artist

Awksymoron, a band founded by born-and-raised Brooklynite musician Athena Matsil, is what you might call an indie rock group with a twist. Although the band has been through many phases, the other current members of Awksymoron include drummer Theo Chapman and bass player Griffin Jennings.

Ultimately the band is categorized under the genre of indie rock, but that is more of an umbrella term according to Matsil. She tells Brooklyn Roads how she finds so much inspiration from other genres of music such as jazz, doo-wop, surf rock, and country; therefore, the resulting tracks tend to vary in sound. Matsil enjoys creating music that has a comforting sound, but also can have surprising or unexpected aspects as well. “I like writing music that sounds and feels familiar but has a personal spin.”

That’s not the only thing we’ve learned has a “familiar but surprising” approach. The band’s name itself is also a reflection of the type of ideas its music represents. Athena says “I love the idea of having a contradictory element to my music…I often pair upbeat music with somber lyrics in order to evoke acceptance. Awksymoron just makes sense to me. I also like that it kind of mirrors my name: Athena Matsil/AwksyMoron.”  Her music ranges from a focus on love and humor to stressful feelings and heartbreak.

Athena Matsil / photo by Jackie Wolf /courtesy of the artist

Matsil adds that living in Brooklyn has contributed to her musical inspirations. Growing up, she had training in violin and classical music, eventually moving on to playing in rock bands. She tells us that she finally felt comfortable as a performer finding her place as part of a band. The first song she ever wrote — when she was just eight years old — was entitled “Brooklyn,” drawing inspiration from the changing seasons the borough experiences. She emphasizes that Brooklyn has the capability to possess so many talented artists because it is so vast; one is bound to find like-minded people, but there is lots of individuality as well. As she very well puts it, “I think it’s because it is huge and there isn’t one universal Brooklyn experience from which to draw.”

Scaredy Cat, Y album cover

Awksymoron does not only play songs from eight-year-old Athena Matsil. They released a single, “Otherwise,” in October 2020, as well as their album, Scaredy Cat, Y? ,which includes remastering from past EPs. The band is excited to release new music, as musician Matsil has amped up her guitar playing skills since their last release. We are excited to see what’s in store for this Brooklyn group.

In conclusion, Matsil has one more thing to say about the band’s name: “I also like that the word Awksymoron evokes a pun but isn’t exactly a pun — it’s punny!”