Interviews: Wolves At Bay

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Post-Hardcore band Wolves At Bay, from the USA. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1.It’s been more than a decade since your last release — what brought you back together to make Dissolve now?

(All questions answered by Will Hayes, Wolves at Bay)

I wrote and recorded a new batch of songs that felt to be a continuation of Wolves at Bay. The entire time during the recording, I kept thinking to myself, “This has the same energy and feel that Wolves at Bay always had.” I always kept in touch on and off with Kevin and Durso, but after the recording for these songs was done, I asked them what they thought of these songs, and they said the same thing I did- it felt like a continuation of Wolves at Bay but a more mature version. After talking a while about it, we all agreed this would be the “comeback album”, so to speak.

2. How do you feel this record captures where you are in life compared to your early work?

When I was younger, I had a hard time transposing what I wanted the music to feel like and the message I wanted to convey. I feel like I was afraid to go outside the box. A lot of this had to do with being comfortable with who I was as a person and feeling confident in the music I wanted to write. Dissolve has everything I have always wanted to say, and do, and musically, from all angles.

3. Can you walk us through the title Dissolve — what does it mean to you as a band and as individuals?

Dissolve is meant as a retrospective on different relationships throughout our lives. The ebbs and flows of growing apart from the people you love, or even your family, and finding new connections in places you least expect them. These thoughts would always cycle through my head and cause interpersonal issues of self-doubt, depression, and a fear of loneliness. As cliché as it may sound, it is about learning to let go of your former self and relationships that shaped you into who you are today.

4. How did the writing and recording process for Dissolve unfold? Did anything surprise you about how the songs came together?

I feel as if, throughout the last decade, my writing went from 1 to 100 quickly, as far as the tools I would use. It all started on an acoustic guitar when I was younger, followed by using ProTools demoing with too many distorted guitars and space sounds, but those aren’t what define a good song to me. For the writing of Dissolve, I recorded everything with only my acoustic and a single vocal. If the song was strong enough as is, then I moved forward. It was surprising how much I loved the stripped-down parts, but hearing it with the full production really sparked so much energy and was the best form when all was said and done.

5. Collaboration-wise, how do you balance individual songwriting voices within the band?

I typically demo out a song and show everyone to collect feedback, and if they want to work on it. I may put drums, bass, etc, on the demos, but I merely do that to develop a feel. Structure, tempo, lyrics, and the vibe always change for the better once we play it out live in a room together. I am truly grateful I get to play music with such a talented group of people.

6. Was there a particular song that felt like a turning point during the making of the album?

The song “Cover, Connecticut” came together in only a few minutes. I felt like I had been on a roll when I was writing, and that song pushed me over the edge of getting in the mindset of, “ okay, this is not going to be a few songs, this is going to be a new album”. I could feel the energy and tone building up beautifully with that song directly into “The Forest” .

7. Many of your songs dive into heavy emotions — which themes stand out most to you on Dissolve?

The theme that stands out to me the most is the long, drawn-out string parts. These are reassuring throughout the album to symbolize the tension that is built up and released by the end with the song “Dissolve”. It is tricky when I am writing an album to not want to keep it going, but I wanted the album to end just like it started, with a piano and a string part to wrap it all up, bringing it all together in the end.

8. Can you share a lyric from the album that feels especially personal or powerful to you right now?

In the song “Cover, Connecticut,” I remember going to demo the vocals, and in the chorus, the line, “Sometimes we lose without knowing what we need,” came together like I needed to get it out, even just as a scratch vocal for a vocal pattern. It really resonated with me writing those words down, and I based the lyrics of the whole song on that line. I feel like sometimes we overlook so many things because we are so focused on the “bigger picture” without being mindful of the smaller accomplishments we make in our daily lives, just getting to where we currently are, no matter the size.

9. Beyond music, what life experiences, books, films, or conversations shaped this record?

Movie soundtracks have played a huge role in the writing of this album. When you listen to a great movie score like There Will Be Blood or The Dark Knight, you feel that intensity building, and you feel the story of the strings and music being played, even with no words. The peaks and valleys feel like an entire journey within themselves.

Movies in general play a big role in writing, just by the color grading and feel of the film. I think RZA said it best, “film is the ultimate form of creativity. “