Entertainment
Wild Beasts Interview
talking about their new album and covering miley cyrus.
Considering the fact that Wild Beasts first formed back in 2002, it seems a little weird to crown them our Band Crush. But since it's been three years since the English rockers released their last LP,
Smother,
and they're back in action this spring with
Present Tense,
let's just say these guys have a whole new perspective on life--not to mention, a grip on what the group is all about. And if that's not reason enough to (re?)bestow the title upon them, then, we don't know what is.
More upbeat but still stocked with the same art rock vibes, the new record is a definite step into uncharted territory for the guys. As vocalist Hayden Thorpe puts it, "This is our fourth album, so we can get into a habit of just posturing and just like, 'Okay, we're making a living out of this. You just have to remind yourself that you have to do something to justify being around for people to come to your shows still, and part of that is risking and daring and being ridiculed, trying things that needs a bit audacity," he said.
This audacity comes in the form of the first couple of singles, "Wanderlust" and "A Simple Beautiful Truth," which carry deeper messages of themes like class, inequality, and death beneath the wooing vocals and lush melodies. And while they'll no doubt be rocking out in front of thousands this summer, they're doing it differently.
Thorpe describes the band's longer-than-usual recording process, saying "You just need to restart the machine and start from zero again, so we've never done a record with zero momentum, we've never started from static, so to gather momentum and to gain that pace again, it took time. We would re-learn it and put things back together in a different way."
This includes taking on a couple of covers, including none other than Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball." Hearing the song come in the from of English guys rather than Cyrus is jarring at first, but listen to their harmonies and stripped-down sentimentality, and you'll see why Wild Beasts loves the risk of doing the unexpected. Just take it from them: "We think once you strip away the bombast and big business of having to pull off a world wide smash, often beneath the layers, there's something really quite good. It works, it's a piece of art."
Listen to Wild Beasts below and
