On The Line W/ Oracle Sisters
Music, Marx, and the Modern World
Oracle Sisters aren't just a band; they're a conversation. From their global roots to their Parisian base, their music is a launchpad for deep dives into art and the very nature of connection in a digital age. This interview for our “On The Line” series explores the band's rich tapestry of influences, their thoughts on modern society, and stories behind their evocative sound. Great band, great interview.
Where did you grow up and where are you currently based?
We grew up across Europe—in Brussels, Finland, and London—but we're from all over Europe and are now mostly based in Paris, France.
Who was the person that got you into music? What bands/artists did they turn you on to?
We have our parents to thank for that, I think. They each individually showed us some early influences: Lou Reed, Johnny Cash, the Beatles, Dylan, and classical music. For Julia, it was jazz from her dad, but she also got into heavy metal in Finland at school. For Chris, it would have been ancient Irish folk songs from where he was born before traveling, and some smooth rock 'n' roll as well.
What's been the biggest non-music inspiration for you lately?
Probably cinema. I've really been enjoying going to the old movie theaters and seeing films like The Brutalist or old Fellini movies in the 6th arrondissement, where they still play classic films.
What's the biggest challenge that artists face today?
The music business—it's a shark tank filled with mermaids.
Ha! Well said!
The Marseille video is great. The dance moves are top-tier! However, that Rickenbacker caught our attention. Is that a guitar you've had for a while? Also, why do you think some people prefer Rickenbacker basses over Rickenbacker guitars?
I saw Widowspeak play, as our keyboard player Mel was touring with them, and I was blown away by the Rickenbacker used on stage—the sound was great. After the show, I asked what guitar it was. That night, looking for similar Rickenbackers, I landed on this strange and slightly different one that had been shaved down. The seller didn't know what year it was from. I took the plunge. It turned out it was a 1962 Rickenbacker 615 that used to have a whammy bar and had been sanded down to reveal the natural wood beneath. I'm in love.
Amazing! Glad we asked.
What's been the best thing that's happened since you started releasing music?
People singing along at shows, singing our songs back to us.
Is there anyone you'd like to collaborate with? Other artists to appear on a song or even a visual artist for an album cover or merch?
We love collaborating. We have two songs coming out soon with our friends from Papooz and Gabi Hartman. We'd love to see what happens down the line. We want fka twigs to do a remix, or Jockstrap. I think it would be great to collaborate with one of those acts, combining our different visions of music. I'd kind of like to learn their weird approaches to production.
“It's in the news
It's in your face
It's in the rattle of the midnight rave
Where every car
And every plane
Are going home
Someplace they think is safeAnd every star
And every faith
And every hole that you've been waiting to fix
Where is the give?
Where is the take?
And it's a wonder
That you can not break”
- “Blue Left Hand” from the Divinations Album (video below)
We saw that Silvia Federici’s Caliban and the Witch was an inspiration. A book that offers a critical alternative to Marx's theory of primitive accumulation. Something that really resonates with the current situation in America. In your opinion, how does the traditional account of primitive accumulation, emphasizing peaceful diligence, differ from Marx's critique, which highlights violence and dispossession?
Caliban and the Witch evolves and incorporates the story of women's subjugation into Marx's critique of capitalism through violence and dispossession, what Marx refers to as the process of 'primitive accumulation' (which means: capitalism evolved through the 'violent expropriation of land, resources, and labor in pre-capitalist societies,' separating people from their means of subsistence, being forced into wage labor or slavery, etc.). Federici really opens your eyes to the subjugation of women throughout this process, the restrictions placed on their rights through laws, and, most importantly, through fear and persecution via the witch trials (often the persecution of independently minded women) in favor of society valuing a more meek, obedient archetype of women as servants of the capitalist system and the producers of either the class managing the capital or the class producing capital through labor. (If you want to understand the psychic effects of this, read Women Who Run With the Wolves.) Peaceful diligence refers to the mainstream economic narrative that both Marx and Federici understandably criticize: that capitalism emerged driven by 'hard work, thrift, and innovation,' saving, reinvesting, and fair trade, and so on. Yes, this might be part of the picture, but definitely not the whole picture. Coercion, oppression, and violence have been part of the journey towards 'economic progress.' In the modern globalized world, oppression has been exported beyond our visible borders. Making America (or any country) 'great again' and bringing business back home doesn't solve the inherent inequality in any capitalist system or the underlying blueprint of that dynamic of exploitation. Workers in America are understandably upset, but that frustration has been exploited by billionaires—people who are concerned about everyday survival have voted for the same person that people concerned about the survival of their exploitative system voted for. Capitalism has its benefits perhaps, but without equality, a legal concept of commons, and wealth distribution inherent in its structure, it risks becoming completely monstrous. I think this is what we're seeing now with the Republican Party and the extreme right-wing movements the world over. In America, we have the risk of becoming techno-fascist, as they say. Fascism is characterized by the state and dominant businesses taking control over the narrative and the mechanisms of power to serve their own purposes and ensure their survival in a time of crisis, posing as the only solution and as saviors, often using scapegoating as a cover-up for the more sinister aspects of this process. In the federal workforce, for example, it wasn't immigrants taking their jobs; it turned out to be Elon Musk. Delusions of grandeur are one of the symptoms in the seizing of absolute power, and an obvious disconnect with reality. Maybe I'll stop there. Our song "Blue Left Hand" is about the unraveling of these narratives we tell ourselves and the historical background of our egos, or the unraveling of stories we like to tell ourselves to feel safe. Truth is likely more complex than any simple solution or picture. We live in the age of information, and we're finding ourselves pushing back on the complexity of real information. Plastic was a solution to a lot of problems, but the truth is more complicated: it sheds microplastics that are destroying our health and ecosystems. The same can be said in politics—'easy solutions' always have extremely complicated consequences behind them.
Thank you! Thank you so much for such a fantastic, well-thought-out answer. Something we’ll be sure to share.
Will you be releasing other artists through Wizard Artists?
Yes! Absolutely, and we can't wait to share the work by other great artists we know.
Recently, has anything negative happened that, looking back, felt like it had a specific, positive purpose?
That's a good question. In the context of the band, when you're trying to do something good, even bad things are like opportunities. It's not necessarily the case yet, but if we find that touring with a full band is too big a production and we become exhausted by it, we might decide to do an acoustic tour. And that might allow us to get to the roots of what our songs are about. Thereafter, we might write our best work. That hasn't happened yet, but I can see how a burnout from the bigger things can lead to simplicity and a more refined vision.
What platforms have been the most helpful with getting your music heard? Bandcamp, YouTube, IG, etc.
Initially, IG, but this was started during the Obama years. I find the algorithms have gotten pretty weird. Social media is more like a 'social experiment'; it's more media than social because how people inherently naturally interact isn't like that. It might force a certain narrative or way of communicating by the nature of that system rather than one's own natural behavior. I find it awkward watching people make a reel, you know? Take a cinematic eye or a poetic eye, and you're never in the moment; you're watching the cultural moment from the outside, and it's definitely weird. These platforms are double-edged swords. Yes, they can communicate a message, but the exchange for that is advertising, like any media, but this has been turbocharged through technology. We have no handle on our data compared to the birth of the internet, no privacy at all. Your music, your images, even talking around your phone, etc., is co-opted as a means for these platforms to earn through advertising, and to opt out of that, you have to pay, even if you're the one making the work that they're profiting off. It makes you scratch your head. In this way, a concert is really unique; we're not advertising anything during a show other than connecting with the music.
How would you define success?
In a band, my success is their success, and it's a group effort. In the context of these questions, that circle should be extended beyond our little bubble to wider communities. Of course, it is a combination of survival, but not without integrity.
Can you share one of your lyrics from your songs that sums up your state of mind RN / feels representative of you?
"How far are you going? Is it more than money can buy?" - "Riverside" from our album Divinations
Thank you so much for your time. GREAT interview!
Top photo by Ella Hermë | Follow on IG @oraclesisters & YouTube
