Today we’d like to introduce you to Ximena Boyrie.
Hi Ximena, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We started playing together in 2015. Ximena (bass+vocals) and Caleb (guitars) met while studying audio at Texas State in San Marcos, and Alex (drums) was a film student at the university, who replied to a Craigslist ad that Caleb posted seeking a drummer.
Originally, we intended to continue an instrumental prog rock project that Caleb had started in college, called “The Return South.” But as we wrote new songs, our sound no longer fit in with that project. We changed names, and Ximena started experimenting with vocals. It became a synth-heavy indie-rock project, and was a nightmare to play live. There was so much gear to haul and a mass of cables to connect, and it didn’t feel like us.
We were inspired by bands like Meshuggah, Chelsea Wolfe and Botch. When we just allowed the sludgy doom in our hearts to breathe, and stopped forcing ourselves to play synths, everything started to come together. We never set out to play in a specific genre, but we later discovered this was considered doomgaze or post-metal. We named ourselves OSSIFER, and in 2022, released our first single Fumes.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. When we first started playing together, the political atmosphere took a drastic turn. Some of us moved overseas to get away and reset. We didn’t rehearse then, but we used the time to reevaluate our priorities.
The pandemic arrived and we were once again separated. Despite only living a few miles apart from each other, it was difficult to rehearse or write together. Then in late 2022, Alex relocated across the country to D.C. We continued sharing ideas, but progress was slow. When we finally reunited in Austin in 2025, and began playing and writing in the same room again, it was like our band had emerged from a coma.
Finding a balance between art and survival, our full-time jobs, self-producing and a saturated media market full of artificial art can be demoralizing. We need to protect our energy and choose our battles. But finding our people here and across the world who take solace in dark and heavy sounds makes it worth it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We play a blend of atmospheric metal and doomgaze, driven by heavy, hypnotic rhythms, crushing bass and ethereal guitars. With vocals shifting between haunting melodies and cathartic screaming, we strive to conjure a sonic landscape of desolation.
We released our first EP, Salt Motives, in 2025, and are currently in the process of recording and releasing new music.
How do you think about happiness?
Happiness is making noise with friends.
We’re always finding hidden magic in the mundane, like a secret swimming spot in the woods, the complex beauty of an insect, or a piece of art that inspires awe. We try to capture that feeling in our music too. There is a concept in neuroscience of Reward Prediction Error, which refers to the dopamine release that occurs when experiencing something pleasantly unexpected. There is catharsis in a jarring chord, a missing beat, or a sudden turn when you thought you knew exactly where a song was going. Unleashing that in a room with our best friends is our greatest joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ossifer.band
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ossifer_band
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ossifer
- Other: https://linktr.ee/ossifer
