Serj Tankian Calls System of a Down ‘A Beautiful Thing’

You might not immediately link the Toyota Prius with rock and roll, but for System of a Down’s Serj Tankian, the car played a crucial role in his decision to release new solo music this year.

“I had this old Prius that I kept around, even though I wasn’t driving it,” Tankian shared with Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong on Tuesday (Aug. 20).

“It was the only thing that would verify my mixes in my studio. I desperately wanted to sell it because I was constantly burning out of batteries. I kept replacing the batteries because I never drove it.”

The push to sell the car led him to mix around 100 songs that he had been working on over the past few decades, just so he could hear how they sounded in the Prius.

“These were songs with vocals that I wanted to mix properly and have a good rough demo of,” he said.

The songs on his upcoming solo EP, Foundations, were all part of that process.

“If I played a mix of mine in the car, I could immediately tell if I needed to do a high pass on the bass or if I had to increase the snares. I could hear everything clearly, and if I made it sound great on those speakers, then I knew it would sound great on any speaker.”

With Foundations ready for release, Tankian felt a sense of relief as he said goodbye to his mixing partner.

“I sold it immediately after finishing the last mix. I was like, ‘I’m done. We’re selling the Prius.’ No more batteries.”

The last time Tankian joined Chuck on Loudwire Nights, they delved into his memoir, Down With the System, and began to explore the future of System of a Down. As Tankian mentioned, the door is always open.

In his latest conversation on the show, Tankian reiterated that statement but also reminded listeners that he is just one-fourth of the decision.

“The idea that everyone has to agree on everything all the time, whether it’s touring or recording or anything, is beyond me,” he admitted. “Some people say, ‘Well, that’s what a band is. One unit. One thing.’ That’s not my experience. I’ve been in it for 30 years and have met hundreds, if not thousands, of other bands; that’s just not how it is.”

Based on his experiences in recent years, he feels comfortable with where System of a Down is as a band.

“It’s great to find a compromise in a way, even if we only do what all four of us want to do,” he said.

“That might be one show a year or two shows a year, one event, or recording, or whatever. I’m happy with that, you know? It’s a beautiful thing.”

Serj Tankian also discussed how his memoir, much like his Prius, helped inspire his new solo EP, Foundations. The track “Justice Will Shine On” from his solo work is as relevant today as it was when he composed it nearly 30 years ago—unfortunately, he believes it will remain relevant for many more decades.

System of a Down almost released “Justice Will Shine On” in 2015, but producer Rick Rubin didn’t think it should be the first song they released after being inactive for so long.

Tankian joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The show replays online, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7 PM ET or on the Loudwire app.