Following The WLDLFE’s career truly is like watching a friend grow up. Having only been a band for five years, The WLDLFE has spent some of their most significant years cutting their teeth on the road, touring around the States with alt-rock heroes like The Band CAMINO and COIN. Led by brothers and co-frontmen Jansen and Carson Hogan, this group has carved out a space for themselves that is truly unique, blending introspective, relatable lyricism with soaring hooks and thrilling melodies.
With the release of their fifth record Repaint My Mind, The WLDLFE are at the top of their game, continuing to innovate their sound while remaining ever-true to the music they set out to create. In the wake of their virtual concert, we got to catch up with the guys to talk Repaint My Mind, their upcoming tour plans, and everything in between!
Play Too Much: Thanks so much for hanging out, boys! Huge congrats on the new record, Repaint My Mind! Now that it’s out in the world, how are you guys feeling?
The WLDLFE: Really really good! It’s been a lot of hard work but this project is definitely our favorite that we’ve worked on and I think we will definitely look back on these songs in 10 years and still feel great about them.
PTM: On this new EP with jams like “Anxious” and “Blood Orange,” you’ve definitely pushed your sound in a more raw, riff-heavy direction, a big change from some of your lighter tunes like “Text Me” or “I Don’t Mind.” What brought out this new dynamic of the band on “Repaint My Mind?”
TW: I think that tastes often change and at least for us, we always want to be growing and trying new things. We’ve been listening to a lot more guitar heavy music over the last couple years and so we really wanted to create music that challenged us in that way, but still stayed true to ourselves. I think this record definitely shows that growth for us and that makes it that much more special for us.
PTM: Speaking of “Blood Orange,” this was quite the bold lead single to kick off this album cycle. We’ve gotta know, what inspired this tune and that titular line “repaint my mind blood orange?”
TW: It really just felt like the statement off the album and kind of represented the overarching theme of the EP for us. That line is just a reminder that every day is a choice and that even though we can get caught feeling like everything is happening to us, we can choose to be positive and believe the best about ourselves, others, and our environments.
PTM: When the announcement for a new record came out, it came as a bit of a surprise since you’ve spent the last couple of years putting out individual singles before compiling them into complete albums, especially since we just got Waking Up Is Hard To Do, 2019-2020 in full this past December. How did you decide that the tracks on Repaint My Mind belonged together as one complete body of work?
TW: I don’t know that there was really an “ah ha” moment for us but I think that we just felt so strongly about how these songs sounded front-to-back and wanted everybody to experience these songs in that way as well.
PTM: Ahead of Repaint My Mind’s release, you did something pretty creative for your fans. Releasing a full-color print magazine with QR codes linking these new songs before they were out in the world was seriously cool move. Could you talk a bit about how all of that came together?
TW: The magazine was an idea that we’ve had for quite a while and just never got a chance to pull it off. In a way, being stationary for the past year or so allowed us to be able to invest some time into that idea and it’s definitely something we are going to continue to do moving forward. We already have some cool ideas for the second one.
PTM: All things considered, you guys got started as a band pretty early in life while most of you were still teenagers. How did The WLDLFE first come together and what has that journey been like growing up in a band together?
TW: It’s been truly awesome. Getting to experience road tripping throughout the country with your best friends is something that not everybody is able to do and we feel super privileged to be able to do that.
PTM: As most of your fans know, lead vocal duty in The WLDLFE is split between brothers, Jansen and Carson Hogan. How do you guys decide which of the two boys is right for each song?
TW: It really just depends. I don’t think we have a method, mostly just whoever fits the song the best.
PTM: With five records under your belt in as many years, you guys have no shortage fan-favorite songs. What tunes are you guys most excited to get out and play live again?
TW: I think we are super excited to see how an audience reacts to the new stuff but we have particularly become very fond of “A Boy On A Phone” live so we hope we can squeeze that into our set for sure!
PTM: Last Friday, you guys did a virtual concert on Veeps. The set was incredible and we know this new album is gonna slap live! How did all of that come together with the production and the look of everything?
TW: We honestly decided super last minute that we wanted to do something virtual. We found a space that would let us do everything for next to nothing and so we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. And it was just nice to play music with the boys again.
PTM: I’m sure fans are anxious to find out, does The WLDLFE have plans to finally get out on tour later this year?
TW: We are working on it! It’s a bit of complicated process with everybody trying to get back on the road but whenever we are able to head back out, it’s gonna be insane!
PTM: Thanks so much for your time, guys! We’re super stoked about Repaint My Mind and everything else you have planned for the rest of the year. Is there anything you’d like to add before we go?
TW: Just to check out the EP if you haven’t already and to make sure to save it and add it to your Spotify playlists as well! That Spotify algorithm can be super tricky so engaging with the songs on Spotify and whatever other streaming platforms in those ways can be super helpful to help growing and reaching new people!
