An Interview with Grey Pix, September 2026
R=Roxanne S= Sophie B=Bre
How did you develop your sound as a group? Was it an immediate click or has it been molded over time?
R: It’s been molded out over time, a lot of our songs moved over from my previous band Imposter Boys so there’s a lot of Sophie and Bre learning those songs and finding a way to play them in a way that works. Then we eventually fit in some original material, and now we’re at a point where we can fully focus on newer material.
How was the band formed? How/when did the members decide to start a band?
R: I wanted to form a band back in 2023, so I asked Sophie to join and we worked on finding a drummer by hanging flyers around town, around [University of Houston]’s campus, and posted on a UH Groupme music group chat. Bre responded through that Groupme chat.
B: I had just gotten out of a project and was looking to play drums somewhere else. The timing couldn’t have been better when I saw the flyer on the UH groupme. Once I auditioned and got the okay, we hit the ground running to make the album.
Tell me about Headspace!! What was the creative process behind it? What significance does it hold to you? How did you create this work as a collaborative effort? Anything specific you wish to highlight about it?
R: I wanted to write something with simpler chords, and with semi-cryptic personal lyrics. I’m always interested in writing something clangy and melodic that gets stuck in my head. I wrote a song (with a clear subject) called ‘Talks’, which began as a song about homelessness, but is now about the plight Palestinians have been facing, experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives. It’s one of 3 songs on this album that didn’t come from my previous group, and there was a lot of experimenting from Bre and Sophie to find something we all thought worked well.
B: Drums are the last instrument that I picked but the one that I’ve always wanted to play. Everything was very headfirst for me while making Headspace because I didn’t truly start playing until we started making this album. It was hilarious cause even while learning to play and create the drum parts, I only had access to a kit once a week for practice. The drum parts were really thought out from the sounds in my head or on the drum setting of my piano. It wasn’t necessarily hashed out from hours of direct work on the kit or any technical, rudimentary drum knowledge. I relied on my experience with other instruments to make up for what I didn’t know about drums to compose.
S: Like Bre, I didn’t start playing bass seriously until we formed the band. I was mainly a guitar player before that, but writing and recording Headspace gave me a completely new perspective on the bass and a deep appreciation for the instrument. Because the record deals with heavy themes—like Palestine and me and Roxanne’s experiences growing up Arab in the United States—I felt an immense drive and responsibility to do these topics justice. Even now, playing these songs live, I still carry that same weight.
The contents of many of your songs carry personal meanings and influences - how is this vulnerability carried within the group? / How do you handle making work about hard-hitting topics as a group?
B: Headspace has been a great marker for a lot of significant memories and events. It will always be a time that represents a building of trust with the relationships in my life. In times like these, strength comes from knowing what brought you here and how you can bring yourself closer to the people around you. There’s no denying the atrocities that are happening all around the world, and there’s no denying who we are either. Being a Lebanese and Vietnamese band, we try to honor ourselves and others who can relate to us as best we can with the messages in our music.
R: I wanted my Arab identity to be a core component of this album. I had a lot of frustrations with myself, with some of the family dynamics I grew up with, as well as how the world treats/sees us. While songs of this subject are cryptic as well, I still hope listeners can feel and identify with the lyrics.
How do you deal with creative blocks as a band? How do you continue to come up with new sounds/ideas?
R: Always as a group, jamming on something offers some inspiration, and even playing our older songs in a different genre during practice gets us wanting to explore different ideas. I’ve learned that you can only get through creative block by constantly playing something, even if it goes nowhere.
B: I think by letting ideas be explored and having opportunities for sounds to come out however they do is important. You can’t force music out, it’s gotta form on its own.
Describe the average band practice! What does your creative process look like? How do these songs go from ideas to music?
R: Usually I’d record something on my acoustic at home, either a partial or whole song, and just play the chords repeatedly while Bre and Sophie noodle around and come up with something they like. I usually have an idea of how the finished product sounds in my head, so I’d voice some suggestions, and we eventually fall into the same wavelength.
B: When we first started playing together to make Headspace, we were definitely workshopping three songs a week until we got it recorded. Once we started performing and settled into playing our songs, we had more time to exhale and hang out. Nowadays, we have a gab sesh the first half of practice and run through the setlist. Since we’re heading towards making the second album, we’ve been jamming a lot more and playing covers for inspo.
S: At practice I try to record as much as possible, whether we're working on a new track or polishing an old one. It’s incredible how much a song evolves when you play it repeatedly and tweak the details, sometimes I don’t realize how much it has changed until I listen back to those early recordings. I also love practice because it’s our time to catch up. We usually start by talking about our weeks or whatever is on our minds, and then we jam for a bit to warm up. Those jams are actually where a lot of our best new ideas come from. After that, we run through our set and repeat any songs that need work. It’s a process that keeps my mind sharp and brings a sense of stability to my week.
What is the hardest part about being in a band? What gets you through those times?
R: Probably waiting for an idea to become fully realized, and getting plans in motion for physical media/merch. We all have busy lives, and we meet for 2 hours a week, so it’s always tough to follow through on certain projects.
B: I think wanting the best for the music and the group but not feeling your best can be difficult. Sometimes you’re playing shitty or you’re feeling shitty. Having supportive bandmates and good communication is what helps during those times to keep you up and playing.
S: My biggest struggle is definitely managing exhaustion while balancing all my responsibilities. Outside of the band, I’m navigating life as a full-time student, working in a lab, and hosting a radio show. Having understanding bandmates makes a world of difference. We always meet each other where we are. If someone shows up to practice completely exhausted, we still push each other to do our best, but we're mindful of our limits and make sure to take breaks!
Does location have an impact on your work? How has being in Houston influenced how you view your process? I'm always incredibly interested in the experiences of others living in the south and how it intertwines with queer/racial identity!
B: Houston has a lot of distinct pockets that are all sewn to the same fabric. Authenticity and heart always shines through the seams here. It’s a city of cultures and many worlds living together. With so many artists and their intersectionalities, their craft is as apparent as who they show up as everyday. We don’t have to tell you who we are or prove anything, it shows in what we make and how we move. As a Lebanese and Vietnamese band, our cultures both share values of insane resilience while always remaining gentle from times of great strife in our respective histories. Hopefully these strengths carry through in our music during these times.
Which song of yours was the most fun to write & make? why/what was the process?
R: I really love ‘Talks’ and ‘Under the Rugs’. With ‘Talks’, I just had one section written, and let it rattle in my head for about a year as I kept adding to it. I never get tired of playing that melody. I love the spike in energy with ‘Under the Rugs’, and how many peaks it has. It somehow sounds right no matter what tempo we’re playing in. It’s a much older song, so I have no recollection of the process behind it.
B: ‘Talks’ was my favorite to make. It was the song that really formed our sound. I love that you can hear each of us so distinctly but together nonetheless. It was the first song that I was super excited for because it felt like a true expression of how I wanted to play music. Undoubtedly us while highlighting topics that matter and need to be said.
What helps bond you as a group?
R: Patience and empathy. Allowing everyone space to learn and to power through mistakes.
B: An understanding of what our music is about and trying to convey that as best we can. Always being supportive of one another and having trust be the foundation of what we do.
S: I agree with both of them that empathy for each other and a common message in our music helps us bond. It feels good to make music with people you genuinely care for.
Aiming for the sky - what is your biggest goal as a band?
R: I’d love it if we had a mini tour, and if we played with some slightly bigger bands we like. I’d love to do a split 7” record with another local band.
B: I hope to release more music, do more visual art and merch, and hopefully be able to host fundraising shows in the future!
S: My biggest dream is to play shows with some of the bands that have inspired me, like Mannequinn Pussy and Narrow Head. Most of all, though, I’d like to play with Prostitute. Discovering their music was eye-opening. It showed me exactly what a Lebanese artist can accomplish in this genre. Hosting a show to spotlight Arab and North African bands would be awesome too. My dream lineup would be us, Prostitute, Haram, IKHRAS, and Taqbir.
Check them out HERE!!
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