Wolf Culture: New Music, Songwriting, and Forgotten Mayday Parade Covers
Photo courtesy of Wolf Culture
Last week Wolf Culture released their latest single and music video for “Spite”, an anthemic cry against the frustration that comes with feeling isolated in struggle. The British alternative group hailing from Bournemouth has managed to do the impossible this year- top the accomplishments of their 2018, which included the release of their debut EP ‘The Devil’s Plans for Idle Hands’, and features on Alternative Press, Punktastic, Rock Sound, and Kerrang. These features included the release of their singles “Wreck” and Continents”, creating a space for the band in the local alternative community.
Formed in 2015 and comprised of Jay Dervan (guitar), Jake Daniels (drums), Max Dervan (guitar and vocals), and Reece Collins (bass), the band spent most of their time in the early days playing around the south of the UK. Since then they have toured with the likes of Boston Manor, WSTR, Hawthorne Heights, Trophy Eyes, Like Pacific and The Dangerous Summer. This year offered Wolf Culture the opportunity to head out on their first full-length tour in the UK alongside ROAM and Milestones. They were able to write with ROAM’s Alex Adams, wrapping up 2019 with a sophomore album in the works.
I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to ask the band a few questions about “Spite”, where they’ve come from, and what this exciting new chapter looks like for their music.
FCS: What bands/influences inspired “Spite”?
WC: You know, “Spite” as a whole was never set out to sound like anything in particular. That’s how we write nowadays. If it’s catchy then it goes in and “Spite” is a perfect example of that. I do recall wanting the pre-chorus to have grunge qualities as soon as I wrote the main riff for it and heard it back. I kept it dark and moody so that the chorus would break through and be a bittersweet relief to the more lyrically-aggressive verses that surround it. As bizarre as it sounds, there’s a scene in Wes Anderson’s Fantastic “Mr. Fox” that always stuck with me. I always envisioned the Psycho Rat character doing that clicking walk he does accompanied by the walking drum beat in this track. I have no idea why but to tell you the truth that came up A LOT. Just thank god it didn’t make it into the music video.
FCS: You say that “Spite” is an anthem for being annoyed when your personal frustrations don’t seem to be shared by those around you. How do you hope this relates to your audience?
WC: I hope it doesn’t. The track is about losing it and not caring. You can have all the money in the world and still want to get so f*cking drunk or whatever that you don’t feel a thing. I guess it gets into some emotions I experienced leaving the education system and being thrown into the open world and I know that nearly all of the kids my age felt that way. “Nobody’s Perfect” and I really think that everyone at some point in their life will experience that feeling of needing a breather and I like the idea that maybe listening to your favourite band with your mates is exactly the escape you need to get by. I know it has been for me.
FCS: Do you feel like you are starting a new chapter with this highly-anticipated sophomore release? What can we expect?
WC: Definitely. We’re slightly older and wiser to the world than we were with ‘Devil’s Plans’ and writing songs is like writing in a diary to me. I need to keep it relevant to myself and where I’m at otherwise why would I want to sing it on stage for nights on end, you know? You can expect we’ll be gouging out our eyes trying to make sure we’re being honest with our lyrics and the stuff we put in your ears. I think there’s no better way to connect with the audience in front of you at shows. It’s almost like a loud conversation in a busy street market. We’ve grown up a lot, we’ve lived a lot of shit and now it’s time to talk about it.
FCS: What was it like to perform alongside Boston Manor, Hawthorne Heights, etc? Do you draw inspiration from them/what did you learn?
WC: Both fantastic bands. We try to learn from every gig we play and they both are masters at what they do. We also had the pleasure of working with the legend that is Neil Kennedy from the Ranch who produced Boston Manor’s ‘Be Nothing’ which was a fantastic album and definitely helped sway our decision on who to have producing. Playing with bands like that inspire us to stay true to ourselves because a lot of them were on our playlists growing up. Honestly, we don’t forget for a minute how lucky we are to have played with so many great acts so young in our career.
FCS: Your origins lie in covers - what was your favorite song to cover in the early years? Why?
WC: A lot of people found us through our ancient cover of “Dial Tones” by As It Is which I’m forever thankful for. That one is definitely in the forefront of my mind when I think about our early days but I do also recall a cover of “Jamie All Over” by Mayday Parade being a laugh to play when we had no one to play to.
FCS: Your music is described as “highly personal”. How do you infuse this intimacy into your music? Do you write with your fans in mind?
WC: Like I say, writing a song is like writing in a diary for me – it can’t get more personal. If I write one and I go to sing it 2 years later and it makes me feel the same way it did when I wrote it then I consider that a job well done. I know that my human experience is similar to so many others and that if I write with an honest heart then at least one other person out there will know what I’m babbling on about and buy the record. I just hope that one other person isn’t another member of Wolf Culture ‘cos who wants to play to an empty hall? Not moi.
“Spite” is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
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