This work explores the description of spin-one matter fields, taking advantage of the recent construction of a parity-based covariant basis for matrix operators acting on the $(j,0)\oplus(0,j)$ representations of the Lorentz group. Spin-one matter fields are relevant both for the description of hadronic states and as potential extensions of the Standard Model. The formalism developed considers spin-one fields transforming in the $(1,0)\oplus(0,1)$ representation of the Lorentz group, based on the covariant projection onto parity eigenspaces and Poincaré orbits. We study the physical content of the theory, solve the constrained dynamics, and carry out the canonical quantization. We conclude that, albeit transforming in a chiral representation, is not possible to have consistent chiral gauge interactions. However, spin-one matter fields can have vector gauge interactions. The dimension of the field also permits the inclusion of naively renormalizable self-interactions, which we classify.