Culture Wars, a quintet comprising Alex Dugan, Caleb Contreras, Dillon Randolph, David Grayson, and Josh Stirm, has been garnering a lot of attention with its exceptional blend of lyrical depth and rock hooks. Their previous singles, “Heaven” and “Wasting My Time,” showcased their raw energy and soaring vocals. Now, they’re back with their latest release, “It Hurts.”
The jangly, bass-driven track is an instant earworm that evokes a powerful nostalgic feeling. Recorded at the iconic Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles, “It Hurts” is a taste of the band’s upcoming debut album, a project that reflects their passionate and diverse musical influences. “It Hurts” portrays a struggling woman, divorced and intoxicated, clinging to a fading socialite lifestyle. Desperate for a new husband and validation, she resorts to humor, often misguided, as a coping mechanism.
As Culture Wars puts the finishing touches on their album, they’re also embarking on a tour with Amy Shark in Australia. Amidst this busy schedule, the band took some time to discuss their album, the new single, and their tour experiences.
Can you introduce yourselves and share a bit about how your individual musical styles come together to shape the band’s overall sound?
We’re all fans of varying types of music, from rock to R&B to country. Where we meet in the middle is the music that we make. I think that combo helps us find a better center which is the sound of Culture Wars.
How did your paths cross, and what inspired you to collaborate and start making music as a band?
We all met in Austin. I was introduced to David 11 years ago and we did that “jam in the room” thing with different musicians and eventually had early incarnations of the band at times to play shows. I met Dillon through a childhood friend, and then Caleb was the intern at the studio where we were making demos. He then went on to be in the band and be our producer. Josh was an intern at the studio we were recording at in El Paso, and we all made friends pretty quickly and then asked him to join.
You’re currently on tour in Australia, supporting Amy Shark. What has the experience been like performing for new audiences, and how has touring with such a well-known artist impacted the band?
It’s of course been great, Amy is a staple here in the Australian music community and has been very cool and great to us on tour. We’ve been touring for a very long time this fall with LANY, The Cult, and BANNERS before this, so it’s been a great treat to finish the tour in my second home and with someone as well-known as Amy here in Australia.
Your new single, “It Hurts,” just dropped. Can you share more about the inspiration behind the song?
The song was originally done on an acoustic, like “Slowly” was, but this one was put together more concretely with Caleb afterward. The song was written about a divorcee at the bar of the Beverly Hills Hotel having a bit too much to drink.
“It Hurts” was accompanied by a musical video. Can you tell us about the creative process behind it? What was your vision for the video?
A big part of the vision for the album has been “a band of guys all playing their instruments – organic/live”, so with that in mind, we wanted a lot of performance going on both in this video and others that we hadn’t done a lot of previously. The song always felt very New York-y to me, so we found some good locations there, got the crew and just simply shot what was there. We told a bar owner nearby that we’d pay a $200 tab worth of drinks if he’d let us film in there for 30 minutes, and boom – video done.
Soon you will be releasing an album. What can you tell us about it? What can fans expect in terms of sound, lyrics, and the overall vibe of the project?
The album is a continuation of the first 5 releases – a band of five guys, playing their instruments in the room. We wrote it all ourselves and our guitar player produced it.
Besides the release of your new album, what else is on the horizon for Culture Wars?
Finishing up with LANY and Amy Shark here in Australia. New album in the new year, and then lots more touring!
Would you like to add something else for your fans?
New single “It Hurts” out now. See you all soon in 2025.
Photos/ Moyo Olyelola
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