For over a decade now, NYC’s BODEGA have been distilling and capturing the essence of the city they call home through their uncompromising music. You could be lazy and call it “art-rock,” but it’s more complex than that. Because BODEGA—vocalist/guitarist Ben Hozie, vocalist/percussionist Nikki Belfiglio, lead guitarist Dan Ryan, bassist Adam See, and drummer Adam Shumski—have been channeling the history of a variety of local sounds into their music from the get-go, as well as infusing it all with subtle (and not-so-subtle), cerebral, and occasionally absurdist social commentary about life in the city—and beyond.
Their new album All Inside Aquarium follows the band’s brief 2025 identity excursion as NODEGA, a no-wave hardcore band of “imposters” whose songs are much more, well, hardcore than those BODEGA usually write. Indeed, the 12 songs that make up this album are some of the most melodic and accessible tunes the five-piece have ever crafted. They also leaned into the DIY aspect of their operation more than ever before—Belfiglio even spent five months building the fish tank (and the miniature world contained within it) that appears on the album cover. The band also staged an exhibition for their artwork in Brooklyn, which will be open to the public all week.
Which is all to say that Hozie’s answers to these five questions were approached with as much intelligence, passion, and zest as you might expect. Check out the singles that have already been released ahead of the album’s October 9 street date below, and read on for our brief Q&A.
It feels like you were trying to go back to and simultaneously redefine the essence of BODEGA with this album. Would you say that’s true?
Absolutely. We’ve begun to think of our first three albums as a kind of trilogy, and deliberately set out to enter a new phase of the band. Paradoxically, I think the new record came from maturity and experience, yet has a youthful energy; it was heavily influenced by the music we liked as teenagers: late-’80s and early-’90s alternative rock. We wanted to make a proper rock record, sans the “indie” modifier, with lyrics and melodies that are more direct and open-hearted.
Artwork has always been an important part of the BODEGA experience, but it seems completely intertwined on this record. What was your motivation for such a DIY approach?
All of our covers in the past have been handmade. Nikki enjoys the tactile experience of making art in our home and photographing it later so it almost looks like a painting. To mirror our new sonics, this record’s art was an attempt at making something less minimal and more kaleidoscopic. There are so many details on the cover that people will only be able to appreciate either in person or with a magnifying glass on their LP. We want people to get lost in the world we’ve created.
You’re also a band that’s been heavily shaped by NYC. How has its shifting landscape influenced your already very anti-capitalist outlook as a band, as well as your approach to this record specifically?
Our local scene is still vibrant, despite many venue shutdowns and the city’s hostile attitude toward the arts. Funny enough, Nikki and I feel more connected to our local scene now than we have at any time post-pandemic. Nikki volunteers for Show Brain, a great organization that throws free all-ages outdoor park shows, and I’ve been producing records from many great artists in our scene including Consumables, Diary, Brook Pridemore, and, Grape Wayne. We also have a podcast called ATM: BODEGA At This Moment that began as a way to contextualize our third LP and the history of the early days of the band, but evolved into its own show where I interview songwriters I admire about their philosophy, creative process, and creative history. I hope to turn people on to new personalities, new songs, and new ways of being through the show. Some of the best guests so far have come from the NYC music scene, such Mike Delaney from Milk Dick and Mike Brandon from Mystery Lights.
What effect did NODEGA have going forward with these new BODEGA songs?
NODEGA was a love letter to early hardcore and thrash metal; certainly working on that stuff re-ignited our love of the riff. Some of the best tracks on the new record are full of riffs, such as the title track, “Weather Me,” and “Fear Not the Fear.” The NODEGA record was written mostly at the same time as this one; I think of NODEGA as the trickster id to the shinier and optimistic All Inside Aquarium. Working on both at the same time was a fun way to channel differing emotions and impulses. I felt freer to explore more blissed-out feelings and tones on the new disc while simultaneously thrashing out brattitude with NODEGA.
What do you hope people will take away from All Inside Aquarium?
People can do whatever they like with the disc, but ideally the goal is for somebody to be turned on by the record enough that they further pursue their own pursuits, creative or otherwise.
