The Lonely Wild Share “Scar” from 'Chasing White Light'

Credit: Jonathan Weiner

Stream: "Scar" via Consequence Of Sound or SoundCloud
Stream: "Snow" via SoundCloud
Order "Snow" via iTunes

 The Lonely Wild will release their much anticipated sophomore album Chasing White Light on October 2 via eOne Music / Fast Plastic. The Los Angeles-based band also announced a hometown record release show taking place September 25 at The Echoplex. Tickets for the show are available here. Additional West Coast tour dates are listed below. Consequence Of Sound premiered “Scar from Chasing White Light and called the track "their strongest song yet.” The Lonely Wild's frontman Andrew Carroll says, “The title comes from an actual scar I have on my arm.” He adds, ”When I was about eight years old, I was jumping on a friend’s bed, broke one of her porcelain dolls and sliced my arm open. As we grew up, we grew apart and didn’t really keep in touch. I heard through family years later that she had a somewhat troubled young adult life, and died way too young. Sometimes we forget how we impact each other’s lives, and when tragedy strikes, we ask ourselves, ‘What if I had done something differently?’ With ‘Scar’, I came to the realization that every moment we make decisions that can’t be undone. These decisions effect the course of our lives.” 

The Lonely Wild recently emerged from John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco with a new record and a new lease on life. "We walked into the studio with an album about death," says Carroll, "and John taught us to let go." The album, which follows the group's 2013 effort The Sun As it Comes, was born last year as Carroll was faced with the death of his wife's grandmother. "When that happens to people you know and love, you often pause and reflect on people you've known who passed away," he notes. "And then the topic started coming out in songs naturally. "Scar," a folksy indie rock tune, was one of the first songs to emerge during that process.The reflective track recounts the passing of Andrew's childhood friend who died after they'd grown apart. "That was a moment of pause for me," he says. "You wonder what could have happened if you were still part of that person's life." The rest of the album followed easily. Chasing White Light The Lonely Wild's self-proclaimed "death album" reflects on death in a way that is both accepting and uplifting. 

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Vanderslice, known for his signature "sloppy hi-fi" approach to recording, worked with the band to create an album unlike anything they had done before. "In the past, we've always labored over every detail of our recordings, picking apart each performance." Carroll continues, "But with John, you can't do that. He's always on the move, whipping up this infectious, magical energy. The first thing we did was throw out all of our demos and approach each song like it was the first time we ever played it." In the studio, the musicians used antique instruments like harpsichord and cello, as well as analog synthesizers and electric organs, and recorded the entire album to tape. Instead of recreating the band's demo, Vanderslice forced them out of their comfort zone, encouraging each song to evolve into its best incarnation. It was a deeply liberating experience for the band.

The Lonely Wild's touring experience also impacted the album. Over the past few years the group, which formed in 2010, has performed with Damien Rice, Apache Relay, The Lone Bellow, Laura Marling, Phosphorescent, Dwight Yoakam and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and at festivals like First City Festival, Echo Park Rising, Cask and Drum Festival and Jubilee. The band has sold out nearly a dozen shows in their hometown of Los Angeles, and expanded their live show to feel as dynamic and exciting as possible. OnChasing White Light, the musicians wanted to bring that sense of exhilaration to the recording.

In the end, Chasing White Light comes to some sort of acceptance. You will die, but that doesn't have to be mournful or disheartening. It encourages you to stay in the moment and follow your own bliss, rather than live for some future promise of an afterlife. It's a musical journey that leaves you uplifted and encouraged, even as it considers one of the life's darkest subjects. "This album doesn't dwell on the despair of it all," Carroll confirms. "It's about looking at death for what it is - something we all go through at some point. It's that great mystery and no one really knows what happens. You're never going to know until you get there. And you have to come to terms with that. Through writing these songs I've come to accept it and not totally fear it. And I hope our fans can too." 
 
The Lonely Wild Tour Dates

09.25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex (tickets)
10.03 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar (tickets) 
10.08 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill (tickets)
10.11 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza (tickets)
           
For more info, please visit:
http://www.thelonelywild.com
https://www.facebook.com/thelonelywild
https://twitter.com/thelonelywild 
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/thelonelywild