The Kids are Alright
There are moments that feel a little surreal. Like when Nathan Willett from the Cold War Kids is chatting with me on the phone and starts talking about a conversation he had a few weeks ago with Win Butler of Arcade Fire. Really? Cue pinching self. This music fan eats that stuff up.
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| CWK by Matt Wignall |
We were chatting about the off-the-grid shows CWK will be playing during the next month, playing the new album Mine is Yours live for the first time. Some of the venues are quite quaint and have become favorites of indy acts, like Pappy & Harriett's in Yucca Valley and places in Big Sur. Nathan went to the Arcade Fire show in Big Sur, and what do you know? CWK is playing Big Sur, not exactly a hipster hot spot but a hell of a great road trip for anyone with the means to make it.
CWK also offered its first single, "Louder than Ever," which I highly recommend, for free on www.recordlabeltoday.com this past Monday. “There are so few rules in this day and age in the music world that it’s kind of like, might as well give it a shot,” Willett says about giving away music for free. Plus, the guys are getting antsy to get the songs out there and don't really want to sit on them for the next couple months before the official release.
As for the new album: I love it. It's not as rough as previous CDs and EPs, but it's time for the kids to grow up. The band’s focus on capturing the emotion in the delivery waned. “That style sort of ran its course with us,” Willett says. “We wanted to get it right no matter how much time it took.”
Here's the article that came out in IE Weekly today:
The Big Chill
IE Weekly
Cold War Kids are ready to galvanize the rock snobs
The first chance fans can hear Cold War Kids’ much anticipated upcoming release Mine is Yours is tomorrow at the Glass House. The album hits stores Jan. 24. Score one for the IE.
Known for their raw sound and energetic live shows, the self-proclaimed soul punksters never fail to get a witness as they spread their gospel. But now they’re ready to put on the production ritz. The songs on their third full-length will likely make the Long Beach/Silver Lake-based band arena-filling rock stars thanks to the pop polish of new producer Jacquire King.
After their debut full-length release Robbers & Cowards turned the band into a critically-praised indie rock outfit, they followed with the less autobiographical, more-literary leaning Loyalty to Loyalty.
The album didn’t galvanize rock snobs they way the first did—although the lyric “I tried to call you collect/You said you would not accept/Your friends are laughing because nobody uses pay phones” and Matt Maust’s bumping bass line made the album’s “Something is Not Right With Me” a searing rocker.
The Kids looked to King (Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, Tom Waits) based on his success rate with bands they know and like. They spent more time in the studio than ever before, giving up their less-is-more mentality for the next step toward superstardom.
For the next few months before the marketing blitz begins the band plays some smaller venues to kick into gear.
“It’s kind of a big field trip,” says front man Nathan Willett. “It’s a fun adventure.”
For the full story, click below:
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