On Tyranny: Chicago’s Axis: Sova Frontman Rails Against ICE, Social Media – but Finds Hope in Music and Art
“Music and art can be topical and informative, but I like it best when it also creates a new space, where escape is possible and interpretation is open.”
-Axis: Sova’s Brett Sova
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You didn’t think we’d halt On Tyranny just because the Democratic Party smashed the GOP to smithereens in the midterm election, did you? Hell no. The war against authoritarianism in America and across the world is going to be a long slog – expect one battle after another for likely generations to come.
The latest installment of our wildly popular series – thanks to you, dear readers, for learning more about the intersection of art and fascism, as it can be tough to consume at times – features the first band from one of the most consequential indie-rock labels of all time, Chicago’s Drag City. If you’re predicting discussion about ICE’s historic and repulsive invasion of that city 14 months ago, you’ve been paying attention.
The Bad Penny hasn’t covered eclectic rock band Axis: Sova before, so by way of introduction, they started as a solo bedroom project roughly seven years and have since blossomed into a full-fledged band. The group features Brett Sova (electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, programming); Jeremy Freeze (bass, vocals, guitar); and Josh Johannpeter (drums, programming).
Axis: Sova’s latest effort, Flowerage – which dropped about two weeks ago – leans more heavily on post-punk than the group’s previous release. Recorded at Chicago’s Electrical Audio last year (RIP Steve Albini), Flowerage is a fun, lively, rough-around-the-edges record that is a perfect fit for Drag City, the home of lo-fi.
Our favorite song on Flowerage is the fourth cut, “Fictional Autonomy,” which features the spot-on lyrics: “Freedom is not what it seems/ And no one should suffer their dreams/ Fictional autonomy all across the USA/ You think that we’re fightin’ a monster/ Designs built against one another.”
No doubt Bruce would approve too.
Without further ado, here’s our interview with Sova, who discusses topics ranging from ICE to employing joy as a form of resistance to his tumultuous past year.
What was the tipping point that made you decide to address authoritarianism on your new record?
There was no conscious decision to address authoritarianism, but there are threads of it throughout the new record. Living in Chicago, the publicized and aggressive infiltration of ICE into our communities during the “Midway Blitz” campaign by our current regime sparked the lyrics for “Fictional Autonomy.” “Blow Up” is about the media-induced panic that serves those agendas, especially the mental health toll it takes on everyone. People aren’t built to absorb as much stimulation as we get from social media; it’s sensory overload for the nervous system. Lyrics for these songs were all written in 2025, as sweeping policy changes began coming in fast and alarmingly swift – it was, and is, just everywhere, every day.
That said, I almost never sit down with the intention to write about any particular topic, and the songs on Flowerage are no exception. I’m more stream-of-consciousness with my writing, pulling words and phrases from experiences; language I’ve read; art and content absorption; and emotional feelings which always appear abstract, initially. I also write on guitar first, so phonetics come to play while working on a vocal melody with guitar, and lyrics don’t typically arrive until after that. The words “Fictional Autonomy” came from just trying to get a nice phrase together that would work for songs chorus and sound a particular way…. Like, a phrase I could envision Lemmy or Pete Shelley singing. The phrase influenced the rest of the lyrics, but I didn’t fully realize what I was writing about until it was nearly finished, honestly, which is typical for me.
Was there an internal debate about whether to take that step, or any reluctance that you might face pushback from music listeners who think artists shouldn’t talk about “politics” (whatever that even means anymore)?
There was no internal debate. I think we’re at a point where it’s nearly impossible for artists to avoid being political, unless they’re so remote and offline they can truly live outside of society. These are not easy times, politics play a huge role in that, and it’s very easy for these stressors to seep into everyday things. That said, I don’t write with any kind of message to impose upon anyone, and most of my songs have multiple meanings or levels of interpretation. For example, “Blow Up” refers to [Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966] film of the same name, and it also refers to people who suffer from migraine and light sensitivity.
How has Authoritarian America affected your lives personally? Do you feel like the U.S. is a less joyful place now? Have you witnessed any ICE kidnappings/disappearances?
Yes, of course. I think the US is generally less joyful now, absolutely. I have not personally witnessed any kidnappings or disappearances. I’ve seen ICE in our neighborhood, and my partner witnessed a confrontation outside her workplace where tear gas was deployed. Citizens broke up that incident, which was last year, but I know ICE nabbed a bunch of people in our neighborhood just a couple months ago. It’s ongoing. Chicago really shows up through protesting and community organization, at least, which is inspiring. I also don’t think that joy is absent from most people’s daily lives, which is also an important form of resistance.
It’s so hard to know when you’re self-censoring, but did you ever notice that happening — if only in the slightest degree — during the writing of the record?
I make many revisions when writing, but at no point would I call it self-censoring. I revise until I’ve written words I find compelling, or words that I feel adequately convey a feeling or an idea. Also, words I’m confident I’ll feel good singing for the foreseeable future. I don’t omit anything out of fear or concern, only if it sounds dumb or undercooked.
How many songs on the album tackle the topic of authoritarianism? As the political and cultural climate in the U.S. has worsened since you finished recording the album, do you wish you had devoted more songs to the issue?
There are three songs that address this topic directly, and one more where it could be applied, “Fever Days,” which is more about resilience. I have no regrets about how much space I’ve devoted to the issue. In fact, I’m very happy it’s not more. While the USA might not be as joyful currently, I’ve experienced joy in the last year, as well as humor, and things like grief from losing a loved one. Those things are part of this record as well, and I’m glad that different experiences, emotions and thoughts found their way into Flowerage, so it isn’t one dimensional. Just like humanity. Music and art can be topical and informative, but I like it best when it also creates a new space, where escape is possible and interpretation is open.
Is your goal to educate your listeners about what is going on, to vent, to express yourself — which an artist inherently does through the act of creation — or all three?
My goal with music is simply to create, and like you say, it’s inherently self-expression. I’m inspired to write and play music, it’s a tool for me to process feelings and information, I like the way it makes me feel, and I like sharing the experience with others. What comes out is dependent upon what I’m experiencing personally as much as what we’re facing socially or politically, etc. As a band, we’re making music that has a specific energy I find compelling as a music fan – I would say that’s where my intention lies, to create energy that provokes any feeling at all, energy that can engage a room.
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“I think we’re at a point where it’s nearly impossible for artists to avoid being political, unless they’re so remote and offline they can truly live outside of society.”
-Axis: Sova’s Brett Sova
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What gives you hope in these dark times?
It seems simple to say music and art, but that’s certainly it. The good stuff always creates a sense of wonder and hope for more to come. I have faith in the resiliency of the human race. I think there’s only so much anyone or any community will actually take.
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For more on Axis: Sova and to snag a copy of Flowerage, head to their Bandcamp page.
The band is playing a handful of dates in the coming days to hype Flowerage, so catch them if you can, Leo DiCaprio-style. Here are the dates:
Tuesday: Pittsburgh @ Spirit Lodge
Wednesday: Kingston, New York @ Tubby’s
Thursday: Brooklyn, New York @ Hart Bar
Friday: Richmond, Virginia @ Cobra Cabana
Saturday: Philadelphia @ Jerry’s on Front
Sunday (a week from today): State College, Pennsylvania @ Manny’s
Go here for more installments of On Tyranny, an ongoing series in which musicians address Authoritarian America. You’ll find interviews with more than 150 artists, including J. Robbins, Bobby Conn, Thalia Zedek; and Chicago bands the Brokedowns and the Gunshy, who also had some choice words for the terroristic secret police organization known as ICE invading their city.
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