MAQUINA. Talks Body Transmission, Tour Addiction, and Cleaning Up Their Sound

Easily one of the most active bands in Portugal’s heavy underground right now, the Lisbon trio MAQUINA. is back with a new album. Body Transmission stands as their most accessible record to date. They kept the raw techno, krautrock, and EBM elements that put them on the map, but reeled the chaos in with tighter structures and really catchy songwriting.

The record opens with a collaboration featuring Barcelona synth-punk duo Dame Area, immediately setting the tone for what follows: driving bass riffs, relentless motorik rhythms, and guitars pushing pure noise and texture over traditional melodic lines. 

The clearest expression of this evolution is "Agony," where a surprisingly upbeat, major-key motif clashes with politically charged, hypnotic lyrics. The rest of the tracklist is just as compelling. "Simulation" strips away the vocals entirely for a pure, instrumental sonic ritual. Then there's the closer, "Pressure/Pleasure"—a track that captures the band's intense live energy in title alone. 

Shortly before the release of BODY TRANSMISSION, Anton Obrazeena of TURBOANX, Canários Mortos and Great Gigs in Lisbon met with MAQIUNA. to discuss the origins of the new album, life on the road, and the band’s plans for the future.

I had the honor of listening to the album before its release. The new album strikes me as a lot more accessible—the songs are shorter, catchier, and there’s more variety in the vocal lines. I understand you took a more deliberate approach to songwriting this time around. What was that process like?

João (guitar and fx): I wouldn't necessarily call it pop, but I understand what you're saying. They definitely feel more like proper songs now. We spent a lot more time working on them—talking them through, building structures, and bringing in concrete ideas rather than just jamming like we used to. That was the big difference. Before, we would hit record without having all the songs completely finished. This time, we came prepared. We knew exactly what we wanted to make.

Were you trying to make a record that sounded closer to your live shows?

José (bass): We were definitely trying to capture the vibe and the intensity of an actual concert. The songs always change a lot when we play them live. We structured the drums and bass first, then added the guitar, specifically trying to capture the raw power of a live performance.

Lyrically, this album has a lot more going on than your previous work. It feels a bit more serious.

Halison (drums, vocals): Do you think it's more serious?

Well, there is definitely a lot more text.

Halison: I don't know, maybe it's because we've been listening to a lot of albums with more prominent vocalists. Writing lyrics can actually be pretty hard for me, so I just try to let it flow. There are a few tracks where the lyrics are quite long, but on the flip side, there are others with no words at all, or just one or two.

I do think the album is more accessible because the vocals create a direct connection with the audience. In the end, it turned into something we all really wanted—but with a little extra spice. We didn't know exactly where it was going to go, but we knew we wanted to do something different and a bit more challenging. The lyrics are a big part of that.

It feels like you fully developed all the ideas you had for this record. When I heard the first single, "Dança," my immediate thought was that it would bring you a lot more exposure.

Halison: It’s true, but that wasn't necessarily the goal. The first two albums have their own specific characteristics. Back then, based on what was happening in the scene, we just wanted to make a weird album full of noise and a crispy snare. It was fun to do. The second album was a challenge because it came out so quickly after the first. Speaking for myself, I think I knew what I wanted for that record, but I didn't quite know how to communicate it to the guys, the producer, and everyone recording us.

I like the second album, but I can spot things on it that I specifically wanted to avoid for the third one. When we sat down to talk about it, I realized we were all on the exact same page. As I was pointing out the things I didn't like from the last record, the guys were like, "Yeah, we didn't like that either." There was also a third factor: while working on this album, we were listening to records that sounded loud but clean. Noisy, but accessible. Like a harsh noise that’s actually very sweet to listen to. So we decided to try and capture that feeling.

José: But it's totally possible that one day we’ll bring the lo-fi shit back.

Halison: Everything can change, right? But for now, I was really excited to make something cleaner. When we released the "Misfit" single, we were exploring that exact idea, and we were really satisfied with how powerful it sounded and how deep the low-end was. So we asked ourselves, "How can we make a studio album that hits as hard as our live shows?" I think we achieved that, largely because we were all interested in the exact same thing. It's much easier when everyone has the same goal.

When we talked to Fuzz Club [MAQUINA's label] and our booking agencies, they never flat-out told us, "You need to make a cleaner album," but they did drop hints about how we could grow in the market. Getting more popular doesn't automatically mean you get more shows; you have to put in the work. Proving you're a serious band, not just an underground project, is something you have to do every single day by playing live and making records. There’s a lot of competition out there. We had to figure out how to carve out our own space so more people could enjoy it. I think we found a sound that allowed us to open up a bit more. I can already feel people getting more interested in us after the release of these singles.

You mentioned getting more concerts. What does that actually look like for the band right now?

Halison: It means booking enough shows to genuinely call this our profession. Making a record takes time, and you have to recoup the money you invest into it just to survive between releases. None of us have other day jobs anymore. Having the right amount of concerts is necessary so we can just focus on the music. If someone offers us one show for €10,000—which never happens—great. But if they offer us three or four shows for €500 or €600, we're probably still going to take them because we need to play and make money to keep touring.

João: We are a bit addicted to this lifestyle. We love playing live. We are fundamentally a live band. We need to be out there exploring new places and meeting new people.

Halison: If someone tells us, "Guys, we're booking a tour at the end of the year in Mexico, Northern Europe, or Asia," the first thing we think is, "Okay, we need to play shows, save money, and pay for the flights." But once that's done, we're already looking at the next goal—where's the next tour? There's always so much preparation involved just to make sure the money is there. Capitalism is fucked up, but at the end of the day, we figure it out. We get the tickets and we show up. How are we going to do it? I don't know, but we always sort it out.

It's July 2026 right now, and we are already talking about booking June and July 2027. You catch yourself thinking, "Where am I going to be in 2027? I have no fucking idea." But one thing that makes me really happy is knowing that, thank God, I have a job lined up for next year. We’re still going to be working on this. It's a funny thing to think about, but it makes the whole situation feel a bit more secure. You can't take that for granted. The first mistake a band can make is taking it all for granted, so we definitely don't.

João: Exactly. We never know how long we’ll be able to keep playing, so we just want to enjoy it while we can. We can do it right now, so let's do it.

So for now, you can officially call music your full-time job?

Halison: Yes. And I can say that for all three of us. I remember seeing old pictures of João as a kid, singing into microphones with keyboards, and thinking, "I want to do this for the rest of my life." I felt the exact same way since I was three or four years old. It's something you always dream about, but when you're actually doing it, it's pretty crazy to wrap your head around. I don't think it makes me feel 100% complete yet—like, I still have a lot more to achieve before I can look back and say, "Yes, I did everything I dreamed of." But it is an absolute privilege to call MAQUINA our job. It’s the craziest feeling, and I love it.

What have been your favorite places to tour so far? And where are you dying to play next?

José: I would definitely say Brazil first.

Halison: Yeah, Brazil was amazing. But South Korea was also incredible and very different. The people there were so warm and super kind to us. In Europe, I always love touring the Netherlands. They’re consistently great—not just because it's easy to buy weed, but because they treat us so well. There’s always a really good vibe there.

João: We still have a lot of places on the bucket list. We need to go to Africa, for sure.

José: Yeah, I want to play Sweden, the Balkans, China, Japan, Ukraine, Malaysia—everywhere.

Halison: We've been playing a lot, constantly doing European and UK runs. But every now and then, something new pops up that's a bit further away, and we always jump at the chance. It makes you feel like there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. It's an amazing feeling to finish a tour and immediately know what you're doing next. You look at your calendar, see a couple more dates and tours lined up, and you think, "Yeah, this is perfect. I don't need to stress right now."