IN CONVERSATION WITH CULTURE WARS

interview by JANA LETONJA

Few alternative rock bands have built momentum as quickly as Culture Wars. The Texas-born outfit has spent the last year transforming from a promising emerging act into one of alternative music’s fastest-rising names, driven by their emotionally charged songwriting, anthemic sound, and increasingly devoted fanbase. Following the success of their breakthrough single It Hurts, which became their first Top 20 Alternative Radio hit and helped propel them past 66 million global streams, the band has released their long-awaited debut album, Don’t Speak. The record arrives after a landmark year that included sold-out headline tours across the US and UK, as well as arena performances alongside Maroon 5, Keane, Wallows, and LANY. Ahead of a sold-out European run, we caught up with Culture Wars to discuss the debut album, life on the road, and navigating a moment that feels like the beginning of something much bigger.

Don’t Speak has been a long time coming. How does it feel to finally have your debut album out in the world?

Alex: It's good. It's like the Internet. It doesn't feel real until we play the shows. So, I think now that we're doing all these shows and seeing people in real life and how everyone's been so excited, it makes it real. Now, it's super enjoyable.

David: Yeah, it's like sending your kids off to college or university, and we're going to see if they can survive on their own.

Looking back, what do you think defines this record and the chapter of your lives it captures?

Alex: In a time of increasing technology and shortcuts, we just recorded five guys playing guitars and drums and bass. It's very much exactly what it is, and organic. And to me, it's something real in a time of fake.

David: Especially all these other artists or bands having other people write their songs for them, and we just refuse to do that. Even when in the past people in our camp were like, “Oh, you should do something,” we were like, “Absolutely not”.  

You’ve described your music as deeply personal. How do you balance vulnerability with creating songs that connect to a wider audience?

Alex:  I think we're just trying to make the music we want to make. And then, the lyrics, at least for me, just kind of come afterwards. As long as I'm writing what I want to write, it kind of just happens. I don't know if any part of it is thought about, to be honest, beyond that.

David: I think when you write what’s true to you and meaningful to you, no matter what it is or what is the subject, the audience will be able to tell that and they can pick up from that. And then it will mean something to them as well. 

It Hurts became your first Top 20 Alternative Radio hit and introduced many listeners to the band. Did its success change your confidence going into the album release?

Alex: I don't think the success it had on radio changed our confidence, but it changed our confidence going into writing the rest of the album. Because It Hurts was one of the newer ones, when we started writing new material after we'd been on tour, it came really quick, and everyone went in the studio and did their part super quick. And from there on, it really changed the game of how we finished writing the rest and what we wanted for the rest. 

Surpassing 66 million global streams is a huge milestone. Do you pay attention to those numbers, or are you more focused on the live response from fans?

Alex: I used to pay attention to those numbers, and I think now it's more about ticket sales. So that's the new conquest.

David: In the past, it used to be “How many streams did we get today” and comparing numbers to the day before. And now, it’s like “How many tickets have we sold”, so it changes.

What were some of the biggest influences, musical or otherwise, behind Don’t Speak?

David: We really like U2’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, Kings Of Leon, Oasis, the early Strokes.

Alex: Third Eye Blind. Band records where the concept of the record is just essentially the band. That’s the theme.

Alternative rock has gone through many shifts over the years. Where do you see Culture Wars fitting into the genre today?

Alex: The resurgence of rock bands and traditional music in that sense, I think is starting to reemerge right now. I think we're part of that.

David: I think people are wanting to see bands back again in the spotlight. There's just something cooler about seeing a band rather than just a single artist with backup dancers. Seeing all those people collectively put that music together and be able to do it every night, I think there is going to be a resurgence of that. Hopefully we can be one of those bands that people look at as they were helping bring back the bands.

You’ve played alongside artists like Maroon 5, Keane, Wallows, and LANY. What have you learned from performing in front of such different audiences?

Alex: We get to watch the bands play, but we also watch their crew and see how they schedule things and see how they set things up and how they’re organised. And then we'll watch them play every night and I'll watch what they do differently from night to night, how they transition in between songs and put together an arena or stadium show. And then getting in front of all those people reinformed us on what part of the album we needed to rewrite. It was really helpful, just trying stuff in real life.

David: It was cool to see them put on a show and how they do it rather than just play a song. You’ve got to transition between songs to make it a full show. That's what we took away the most and stepped up our game on for sure.

You’re about to embark on a sold-out European tour. What excites you most about bringing these songs to audiences overseas?

David:  I feel like the UK still have a passion for rock music and rock bands. So, I'm really excited to play for fans that we already have and maybe new fans or someone that's not a fan whose boyfriend or girlfriend dragged them along and then convert them into being a fan. I think they're passionate and they care more than just listening to the newest pop song on the radio. 

With so much time spent touring, how do you keep the creative process alive while constantly being on the move?

Alex: We have to figure that out.

David: I think we’ve started it a bit in the first leg of our US run where we’ve started messing around in soundcheck. You know, start new little riffs and play along to it. You're like, “Oh, that could be something”, record it on your phone, save it for later. I think that kind of stuff.

Looking back at where the band was just a few years ago, what achievement are you most proud of?

Alex: I mean, selling out our own shows.

David: And I think especially since me and Alex have been doing this since day one. To some fans, it could seem like this is our first album and it’s happened really fast, but no. It’s been going on for a while and we’ve been going after it. So I’m proud of every single thing.

This feels like a breakthrough moment for Culture Wars. How do you stay grounded while everything is accelerating around you?

David: Our significant others back home ground us the second we step foot back in the house. 

Alex: Also, I think at least for Dave and I, we have this special part of our brain that's broken, that's just not really satisfied with anything ever. So that lack of contentment, I think is helpful.

David: And I live in Dallas, Texas. It's not an artsy town, so when I get back no one gives a shit. When I go away is when I can play rock star and dress how I want to. Then when I come back, no one cares.

What’s next creatively? Are you already thinking about the next chapter, or are you focused on fully enjoying this moment?

Alex: Both. We're starting to think about the next chapter, but I’m trying to just think through it and be intentional on some of it. I think when bands go “Great, let's do that again for an album,” is when you're in trouble, you should be changing things and feeling uncomfortable at all times.

David: You kind of take the blueprints of what was working and then you expand that to be better. But we have just started discussing and noodling around in soundchecks. We're definitely going to enjoy this tour. If anything, it’s going to inspire us and put the fire in us.

TEAM CREDITS:

photography ELIOT LEE