A Q&A with Culture Wars
Texas alt-rockers’ “angry letter to self”…
What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
‘Typical Ways’ – it’s a song I refer to as an “angry letter to myself”, being stuck in bad habits and realising it’s time to grow up.
What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
There’s a lot of noise and music out there releasing on a daily basis. We’re completely independent, so we needed a comprehensive plan to push this one forward in a big way, which we felt it deserved. Lining all of that up to happen effectively at the same time is tough – essentially building and running our own label.
Who produced the release – what did they bring to it? If you produced it yourselves what do enjoy most about producing your own material?
Our guitarist – Caleb Contreras. We set to create a very song first, organic album, and we feel we’ve done that effectively so far. We write song first – if it doesn’t stand on it’s own with just two elements, we don’t move forward. It’s led to what we feel is our strongest work yet.
What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
Energy. Maybe a bit of an escape. Just enjoyment. There’s enough craziness going on in the world, it’s good to be able to connect and enjoy something on its own.
How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
It can come together in a lot of ways within the band. For ‘Typical Ways’, it was a bit atypical, Dillon wrote the majority of the music and then brought it to me. I then came up with verse and chorus in separate efforts. The chorus coming to me after waking up in the morning.
What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
We all have very different influences and things we like, so when we come together we have to meet in a middle where everyone is into it. If I had to reference anything, I’d say it lands somewhere near Oasis, Third Eye Blind, U2’s ‘All that You Can’t Leave Behind’, maybe a bit of The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Killers, etc.
What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
The goal has always been Wembley. UK and Europe is a big focus for us in the future, but we’re loving playing a lot in Asia and Mexico lately. Fantastic places to visit and amazing audiences.
If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
I’d have to say ‘Typical Ways’ right now, but each song sits in a different place and I think each one could lend itself to being someone’s go-to.
What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
Wembley, Wembley, Wembley. Since I was 13 that’s all I wanted.
Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Help us complete our pyramid scheme by telling 5 friends about us, and we’ll see you soon 🙂
For more info about Culture Wars visit culturewars.io
