Chicago outfit, Twin Peaks are set to release their latest work (Wild Onion) tomorrow and they took some time to open up about the making of the album for our readers to have a more in-depth look at album number 2. In our interview, Twin Peaks lead singer Cadien James lets us know about the inspiration behind their sound on Wild Onion, the significance of Chicago to them and the new album, tour shenanigans with The Orwells and more.
It’s definitely always interesting to see how these projects come together and the story behind Wild Onion sure delivers plenty of good info for fans of the band to learn about. Read our full interview below.
What was your approach to this project? Creatively, what did the band try to achieve with this?
Our approach was the same as always — try to write killer tunes, work on them with the boys, lay ‘em down, rock the f*ck out. We were definitely curving our writing process, trying to focus on combining 60’s and 70’s rock’n’roll & psychedelic with the 80’s/90’s “new wave” sort of stuff, some ’77 punk sprinkled on top… whatever all that means.
What producer(s) did you guys work with to make the record and how did they affect the making of Wild Onion (WO)?
We worked on this record with our friends Colin Croom, the male half behind Sister Crystals, and Andrew Humphrey, sound genius of the Feeltrip collective. They helped us achieve a lot of clarity in using overdubs that we weren’t able to navigate on our own, making it so that the percussion of a pick strumming an acoustic comes out while not overpowering the sound of an electric and things like that. They also just knew how to get around a studio: what mics would be good for any given process, how to use a reel-to-reel tape machine, how to create sounds on goofy old synths… which was crucial since none of us had worked in a studio before. Also, Colin let us use his fat-ass pedal board, which was a lot of fun when recording guitars.
Were you listening to anyone/anything in particular during the process of writing/creating the songs on this album?
I’m not sure how conscious any of us are of what’s inspiring or influencing our songs, but without speaking for anyone individually, there was plenty of Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Bob Dylan, Dead Boys, The Strokes, Kendrick Lamar, R. Stevie Moore, Tame Impala, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc. being listened to by the boys. There’s all sorts of angles that will sneak up on the record.
How would you describe your writing process? Does it typically start with a riff or do you create the music after seeing the lyrics?
Personally, I always start of with a chord progression and melody, and add lead lines and lyrics on top; I know Jacky D will sometimes start off with words and a melody before adding guitar parts. Whoever sings a song writes it, sometimes bare bones or sometimes nearly done, and then brings it to the band to be fleshed out.
What was the reasoning behind calling the album WO? How did Chicago affect WO?
“The name “Chicago” is derived from a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, translated as “wild onion” or “wild garlic”, from the Miami-Illinois language.” (Wikipedia). We were trying to find a name that had some connection to land/nature/earth/etc, probably just because we’re getting older and a bit trippier, I’m not sure why we were on that route; but after a while we had nothing good, and my mom suggested the name. It seemed a perfect fit — sounds good, looks nice, represents the city we love so much, and onions have layers, just like the album. We’re wild too!! I truly think you’re shaped by the environment you grow up in, whether as small as the household you’re in, as medium as the city you’re in, and as large as the country you’re in. So make what you will of that — we’re all born and bred in Chicago and grateful to be so.
What are some of your favorite tracks on the new album?
I love “Making Breakfast,” one of Clay’s tracks that just really makes you feel good, as well as “Fade Away,” one of Jack’s that puts you in control and forcefully pushes you forward. I won’t dive into my feelings on my own tracks, but I’m happy to see “Ordinary People” see the light of day — I’ve had the chords for years and years, but it was fun to finish lyrics and the arrangement, and I love the leads Clay made for it.
Seeing you guys perform on the same bill with The Orwells some months ago instantly became one of my favorite live experiences of the year. What are some of the unknown highlights, in any terms you all see fit, about that tour?
We had a super wild show in DC with the dudes; the venue tried to put up a barrier between the stage and the crowd, which worked to the disadvantage to pain levels for some of the security caught in-between. There was a great show in the basement of a church in Philadelphia. Some of us did acid at SXSW before the Orwells headlined Burgermania which was pretty wild… I walked a mile on a fractured foot that night, and tried crawfish for the first time (I recommend Treasure Trailer in Austin, amazing food truck!). Pretty much the whole tour ruled.
In a recent interview with the RedEye during Pitchfork, you guys called out Letterman. If he (or the show’s producers) make good on that and have you play on the show, what can fans expect from that performance?
The same energy and shenanigans we’d bring in a basement! We try not to make distinctions. We’ll always rock hard motherf*cker.
(Finally) Our readers are always looking for cool, new music to get into so if you had to recommend one new-ish song for our readers to listen to/discover right now, what would you all suggest?
The new Foxygen track, “How Can You Really,” is SUPER amazing. They basically did what I wish I was doing, so genuinely retro and good vibed.
