Gojira's lyrics generally focus on humanity and the environment, thanks in part to the band members' upbringing. In an interview with Andrew Haug, Gojira drummer Mario Duplantier said the band's rural childhood in France gave them a deep connection to the wilderness around them… or as Duplantier put it, "we were rednecks."
"We grew up exactly in the same place in France, in the southwest, so we had the same concerns. We were also rednecks; we didn't grow up in big cities, for example. So we were surrounded by nature. It's our education; the four of us received the same education — 'respect the ocean, respect the mountains,' because it was our playground.
"Joe [Duplantier, Gojira frontman] is writing the lyrics, and Joe is a very sensitive person; he's always thinking about humanity in general. When you have to write lyrics, you just have to write something you're obsessed about or you just feel.
"I think what is cool is now, with the stature of the band, we were able to raise a campaign like we did for 'Amazonia' where we raised money — like $300,000 to give directly to the indigenous people in Brazil. So that's our goal, I would say, in the future, is bringing more operations like this."
Speaking of the Duplantier brothers, Joe said in a recent interview that fans shouldn't expect a new Gojira record in the immediate future.
"Yeah, that would be a very organic thing for us to do now, to concentrate on an album, because we love putting out music and then going on tour and playing shows. So it's kind of part of a cycle. It's not a great surprise there, unless we call it a day and we split one day, and then there will be no more albums.
"It's an intense life — it's a very intense life — so personally I need to process what happened on the road and I need to spend time with the family. I can't jump right back, like I used to do with the guys. Right after the last tour of a cycle, we would be in the studio the day after almost, writing stuff. But I love being in the studio, I love coming up with new ideas, et cetera – but I really feel the need to be with my family more than ever."
