Razor Burn Connects With Us to Reveal the Powerful Story Behind Their New Single "Point of Defeat"

STAFF
Aug 23
12 min read

Photos provided by: Razor Burn

"Point of Defeat” is a fierce, unapologetic anthem that burns with raw energy and emotion, redefining rock.

Razor Burn’s latest track, “Point of Defeat,” explodes with a powerful blend of high-energy riffs and a gripping, haunting vocal delivery that immediately demands your attention. As the first notes cut through the air, you’re instantly pulled into a soundscape that feels both ominous and liberating, building to a thunderous crescendo. But what lies beneath the surface of this sonic assault? We spoke with the band to uncover the story behind the track and how it bridges the raw intensity of their sound with deeply personal themes.

In this conversation, Razor Burn opens up about the moments that transformed their music from intimate expression to a global force, one that speaks directly to listeners’ struggles and triumphs. The song’s enigmatic lyrics, combined with their visceral approach to performance, offer a unique glimpse into the band’s journey and vision. From the process of creating their electrifying sound to the emotional landscape that inspired “Point of Defeat,” the band reveals what drives them to keep pushing boundaries, both musically and personally.

With every question, Razor Burn pulls back the curtain on their creative process, offering fans a closer look at how they blend vulnerability and intensity to craft songs that are as cathartic as they are anthemic. Dive into the full interview below and find out what makes “Point of Defeat” more than just a song, it’s a testament to the unrelenting spirit that defines the band and their music.

Here’s how it went:

Begin Interview:

Hello Razor Burn, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.

Q. The opening harrowing sound of this “Point of Defeat” is instantly exhilarating. The slow burn and eerie, ominous vocal delivery feel like an explosion waiting to happen. Then, as you perfectly orchestrated it, the tsunami of sound lands hard. Wow, we loved this. When did you first realize the power of your voice and overall creativity as a unit, and what moment in your lives made it transform from a personal, intimate expression into a tool for sharing your story with the world, ultimately laying the foundation for the impactful career we see today?

A. Since I was young, I always wanted to sing. Something instinctively in me just wanted to be a singer in a band for what feels like my whole life and I would sing everything, went through so many genres. I think by practicing so many different genres (and most of this was self-taught with a small handful of lessons and research) it allowed me to develop a substantiative range with my voice. When the add went out for the vocalist for this project it was the exact bands and energy, I was drawn to that I had imagined singing to since I was thirteen. Just that raw, powerful music that could move and inspire but was full of resilience and dynamics. My two passions in life are singing and just wanting to make the world a better place for everyone and making sure everyone here feels like they have a home, and someone cares about them and sees them. These songs are a reflection of my relationship with the world.

Q. What message do you want to deliver with "Point of Defeat"? How do you hope it resonates with fans?

A. I hope fans resonate with the resilience and hope embedded into the song, that they can find strength on their worst days. I want them to feel there is a point to being challenged, to change, to grief and pain and it requires us to grow, to level up in ourselves as beings. Pain isn’t there to say hey stop this is as far as you come. It’s there to level us up and help us change and grow and adapt, give us new tools and ways of thinking about life.

Q. Can you tell us about your full musical genre journey? Is this particular musical styling something you’ve always embraced from the very beginning of your journey, or has it evolved over time through influences or experimentation with other genres?

A. I’ve had an interesting mix in my journey since I was little. I grew up on a lot of 90’s radio rock and pop because my mum was so young when she had me. She got in trouble with my daycare because I was teaching other kids “pretty fly for a white guy” before I knew my nursery rhymes. But I loved singing always whatever phase I went into and when I hit high school, I discovered punk and a lot of bands that I instantly was inspired by. I was sick of songs about love and personal problems, and punk had just that message that music could be used to properly inspire and stand up for each other and represented this community of outcasts and minorities and fighting for them. It was like superhero messages to this hard raw straight forward and simple music but it was so powerful and I was always like “that’s what I want to do and write about and sing about.”

Q. The opening lyrics hit so hard: "Ring around the Rosies, we’ll grow the posies when we’re falling down." It's such a nostalgic yet creative style. Can you break down this lyric for us and explain how it ties into the overall message of the song?

A. I was inspired to write something dark to match the dark melody but wanted something to grab the attention of the listener. Occasionally song writers use melodies and words from childhood rhymes or lyrics (Gotye has that baa-baa black sheep feel with the keys in somebody that I used to know) and it just triggers in the brain like “I remember this, and it feels safe because I know it.” I wanted to play with that idea and just build this little reminder like we’re going to die one day and be at rest and it may be beautiful, these flowers and this life growing from us but we’ll get the eternal rest or restart depending on your faith. This idea leads up into the idea of not rushing to find death or giving up halfway through a hard chapter or day in our lives because it won’t be forever and rather than facing defeat we can continue to push back. No matter how tempting that rest and withdrawal and defeat is, no matter how peaceful it sounds we’re here now and this world and each other we’re all worth fighting for and loving.

Q. Can you tell us how you landed on the title of "Point of Defeat"? Was it your first choice, or did it evolve along the way? What does this title mean to you?

A. When I received the demo it was titled “Enter the Night” and I wanted to play on that idea, but it got me a little stuck and I decided I needed a fresh approach to find the write melodies and lyrics. I wrote the lyrics before the title with no intention of naming it. And as I was finishing up the lyrics I was going over them and I asked myself, what do I want the audience to take from this song, and it really centred around that questioning of defeat. Like what is the point of defeat, really? It’s okay to let go and change our ways but that’s not defeat. What’s the point in tapping out of life and giving up because it feels too much. It can go wrong if you give a damn, and it can go wrong if you don’t. It might go wrong either way so why stop and give up?

Q. Your music thrives in loud, high-energy environments. Do you find that the energy in your music reflects something about your personal outlook on life or the world around you?

A. I believe it’s a reflection of our energy and outlook on life and the world we’re living in. The world is loud and so saturated in information, it can get exhausting. And with how interconnected and quickly news travels people have a lot to say but are becoming scared of what to say for the fear of screwing up something in the future or the shame we carry from just promoting ideas mindlessly like we have in the past that have hurt cultures and society and in this avoidance of saying something that makes us look dumb or can lead to lifelong shame we end up talking a lot of nothing. Avoiding hot topics because someone will cancel them or call them out. In this I think there’s a need for our side to be loud, the politicians and billionaires and people with money currently can speak as they want (and some of them are abusing that power in really dangerous ways) so why shouldn’t we continue to be loud ourselves and make sure they don’t keep taking mile after mile in their confidence and power. Inspire the voiceless to keep their voice and keep resisting because we all deserve quality of life.

Q. Do you find a difficulty in maintaining the authenticity in your sound, especially as the music industry continues to evolve and trends shift?

A. It used to scare me that rock and punk and “guitar music” could be dying and on the way out. I’ve seen live performances become quieter and more intimate and personal which is great, but I once watched a band where the bassist sat on his amp and sipped on his glass of wine. And that’s cool and totally respectable (each to their own) but I questioned are we no longer here to entertain. By day I teach high schoolers and I’ve found recently in conversations with my students that they’re getting excited and there’s a revival in nu-metal and rock and punk both new and old bands. And I believe it’s partly because they’re connecting to authenticity and mistakes. We can make such perfect and precise music now with technology and AI and it’s so easy for anyone at home to make a song. But to bring the human spirit through hard work and talent the rawness of being able to make mistakes and be off still holds value if the audience young and old still believe in the spirit of what it is to be human which is to make mistakes but to keep working and put in the hours behind the creativity.

Q. Can you describe the atmosphere and experiences of performing in dive bars and underground venues in Australia? How has that shaped the band’s identity and sound?

A. I’ve played a few rock and metal shows in some underground bars and pubs and the turn out and energy has been incredible. I think it used to be hard to get people to come out to shows until recently but as we find ourselves in a world questioning what we value (especially post pandemic) and seeing patterns of what we can lose historically if we don’t value the things we love (live music, venues to drink and be loud, spaces for your favourite bands to play) that the live scene may be on the verge of revival again.

Q. In “Point of Defeat,” there seems to be a clear sense of struggle. How much of the song’s themes are rooted in your personal experiences, and how do you channel those feelings into your music?

A. The whole song is written in personal experience. From the grief of losing my best friend of 13 years and other losses and broken relationships that surrounded that event, to the questioning of how we can do better the whole song rings with some of my personal experiences and a few inspired lines from some of my other favourite pieces of works in the arts and in philosophy. There are quotes that ring out to me and things I’ve studied in working on myself to become a better person that are woven throughout the song lyrically. But I always want to acknowledge whilst it’s good to focus on the positive and being better we can’t do that until we acknowledge and accept our dark sides and our history and challenging that despite making mistakes, we have every right to keep working on ourselves and we don’t have to be filled with shame in that journey. I sing about facing the mirror and accepting glass as opposed to smashing it, being strong enough to control and master that anger and transfer that energy into self-improvement and enduring strength as opposed to our emotions flooding us and getting the best of us and keeping us in these safety cycles of toxic or bad habits.

Q. Have you ever felt the need to hold back your words or thoughts in today’s virtual, comment-driven world, or do you find it liberating to express that level of vulnerability through your music?

A. I find liberation to express my vulnerability. I do sometimes struggle to find the right words creatively to find what I’m saying or what I want to get out there, but the music and the lyric writing are my therapy because I understand I’m not alone in feeling how I feel, and I never want anyone out there to feel isolated in feeling what they feel. Music has always had that power to connect us and I strongly believe in keeping that energy and connection alive. I don’t want people to fear what they feel or think. I’m still learning myself to critically analyse and be aware of what I say and reflect deeply but I also don’t want to be told to shut up just because I’ve offended someone or contradicted my past self. I grow, I’m human, I make mistakes. If I say something wrong you can correct me, we can debate. Our views don’t make us enemies; it’s a calling to work together to come to some kind of solution or understanding. We believe due to our competitive culture that because we disagree that we don’t like each other but it should never be you vs. me. It should always be us vs. the problem; we should be on the same team working towards an answer or an understanding. I’m not an easily triggered person because I always try to empathise and understand why people say or believe the things they do and I also am just as happy to question and be challenged myself if the communication can be kept respectful. I’m here to learn change and grow.

Q. Where does the magic of your music production begin? Do you start things off in your home studio, or do you collaborate with an outside producer? And when it’s time to wrap things up, do you handle the mixing and mastering yourself, or bring someone else in to perfect it?

A. At the moment everything is done at home. I get sent the music from Luke and I’ve got my own home studio, I do writing sessions, let them sit for a time then spend a day recording vocals for track and send it back to Luke. I sometimes need to go on an adventure or lock myself in a dark room, change the energy and vibe to find the write lyric and theme and adjust during the recording. Finding a mixer has been an up and down challenge but I think we’ve found someone now that we’re happy with helping us out.

Q. There’s a lot of technology available today. Some artists describe it as overwhelming or too much. With computers being more prominently used for creation and correction, do you feel this has a positive or negative impact on the final result of your music?

A. I used to have the same problem of feeling overwhelmed by all the resources and processes involved in the recording and production side. It’s like a visual artist walking into a workshop with everything they have ever needed in every brand for the first time and told “here have fun” and not told anything. They may have dabbled in art class or done some doodling and had fun at home, but it can be overwhelming. I think the important thing now is you find what you can use on your budget (and there’s still a lot) but you find a process that works for you, and you build on that process and occasionally, update your information and your gear when you can. But it’s about just finding a process that really works for you and everything else gets easier.

Q. What do you want people to remember most about you after hearing this song and reading this interview?

A. I want them to remember there is still a community and a place for everyone in this world, themselves included. That every day and especially on the hard days we’ll have music for them the same our favourite bands have kept us pushing on. But this community and this band will accept you no matter what you believe in, no matter where you come from or where you’re going. If you feel lost, broken, uncertain, I want our music to be there for you to lean on when you’re not sure where to turn to.

Q. We’d love to dive deeper into the story behind your artist name, Razor Burn. Now that we’ve had a chance to experience your music, your fans will likely be just as curious about the meaning behind the name that accompanies your sound. How does Razor Burn connect to the music you create? What significance does it hold for you personally, and what is the origin or backstory behind the name?

A. Razor Burn is inspired by the Lagwagon song, reflecting our punk roots and enjoyment of the genre. I’ve also come to internally like imagining it’s the irritation we’re giving to any group out there trying to silence or phase bands like us out. We don’t want to destroy you but we want to make you consistently uncomfortable until you consider getting help and improving yourself. Just how I like to think of it occasionally.

Q. And finally, Razor Burn, we can’t thank you enough for sharing these intimate details! So, what’s next? Can you give us the inside scoop on your upcoming projects and what fans should be excited about? We’d love to be the first to share the news!

A. We have a bit more stuff we’re doing with Point of Defeat, we want to make sure it gets some good support but when we’re ready our next track is ready to go. We’ve lined up some shows around the southeast of Australia for the end of the year with hopes of expanding to more of Australia touring wise next year. We’ve got a full album recorded, working on a lot of other singles and albums. We are just getting started and these first few tracks are just our beginning of a whole journey that’s yet to come for us and our developing fan base.

Razor Burn, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!

End Interview

We’re happy to have shared Razor Burn’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.