Austin rockers Culture Wars have been doing big things lately — from touring stadiums in Asia and Mexico with bands like Maroon 5, Wallows, LANY, The Script and Keane — to dropping their latest single, “Typical Ways” — to recording their next album… it’s safe to say these guys have been on a steady climb to success with no stopping in sight.
Despite being independent, the band’s latest single “Typical Ways” has gained over 4 million streams on Spotify alone since its March 28th release — almost catching up to their prior single, “Heaven” which boasts just under 5 million Spotify streams. Back in 2021, Culture Wars made a strong entrance with their debut EP teche, which earned over 11 million streams and gained momentum on TikTok as well. It also broke into the top 30 on U.S. alternative radio with standout tracks like “Faith,” “Lose Money,” and “Leave Me Alone” — the latter of which was featured on the GRAMMY-nominated Bill & Ted Face the Music soundtrack.
We had the opportunity to catch up with Culture Wars while recording their upcoming record at the ever-iconic Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. From songwriting to touring, we got the scoop about what is on the horizon and how the new album is shaping up to become their biggest one yet.
Collectively, the band draws inspiration from just about every corner of music, which attests to this dynamic sound on their forthcoming record. Frontman and vocalist Alex Dugan begins by explaining that their 2021 debut EP, teche, is more like a preface or introduction to this new album — which is more instrumentally formulated versus electronic elements. Though the sounds of each record vary, Alex says they’re both definitely critical to the band’s sound and continual growth. One of the key differences between the two records lies within the production process. For the new album, the guys shifted their songwriting and recording methods to an approach that is more organic and collaborative — which in turn, has allowed their sound to really shine through while constructing each individual track:
“We were very intentional about everything we did after teche. During that time, the band would start the songwriting process by making an entire track and then I’d have to deliver a melody to sing with it. We weren’t really getting anywhere that way, so we changed our approach and made a conscious effort to begin with only a vocal and guitar or piano. If the song wasn’t good with just those two elements, we decided not to move forward. It forced us to write songs that we felt were strong on their own. When it came to recording, we didn’t need a lot more other than tracking drums, guitar, etc. because the core of the song was still there. We didn’t want to hide behind a lot of electronics, we just wanted to be band.” — Alex Dugan
With the industry back on its feet compared to 2021, the band can expect a slightly different release experience since their last record. Looking back at the debut of teche, which came out in the midst of the pandemic, Alex reflects on the positive side of launching new music in a nontraditional environment and how it has been a major stepping stone in their career now:
“In a way, it was a hopeful moment for us as we were able to get a lot of really great looks at the time. If the pandemic wasn’t happening, people would have been like, ‘You aren’t on any major tours, so you we can’t give you these [big] opportunities.’ The fact that all of that stuff was off the table, in a way made it more about the music and less about the clout — which really helped us in that moment. But, in this current era, the music is continuing to go a lot further than it ever did because of the progress we made during that time.” — Alex Dugan
Nonetheless, Alex and the guys are very much looking forward to their upcoming release with the ability to navigate promotional appearances and do things “IRL” instead of solely virtual this time around. Over the past year, the band has scored a ton of huge touring opportunities, which sent them into a massive trajectory of success around the globe. Alex says, “We were glad once things picked up, knowing we could actually get some touring in. In the last year we went from playing 300-500 capacity room to consistently playing 50,000-70,000 capacity stadiums.” He admits it is definitely not the typical slow-climb and that the catapult into international arena touring was very unexpected, but of course, they were thrilled to say yes.
Though with those triumphs come a grueling schedule, it has all been a pillar of encouragement for the band. “I’m not sick of it, that’s for sure,” Alex jokes of their more recent touring life. “But, you certainly find yourself going ‘Oh wow, we’re really doing this now.’ It’s never lost on me. It’s still a fantastic opportunity and to be [physically] tired from touring the world is a great problem to have.”
Fans around the world have taken to Culture Wars seemingly overnight, maybe quicker — in the blink of an eye almost. Alex recalls the band’s unplanned decision to add “Typical Ways” into the set list on their recent Asia runs and how it blew up immediately:
“We thought, ‘Eh, maybe we play it live and see what happens.’ And then we played it live in the middle of the set and it got the biggest reaction over anything else we did. We tried it again at our shows with LANY in Singapore, again, right in the middle of the set, and it had the biggest applause. We just had to listen to the people this time.” — Alex Dugan
Alex continues on about the passion that their new fans have for the band and the music they’ve released so far, even after only seeing them live once (and as an opening act). “The fans overseas are eager,” Alex says. “Mexico was going nuts, it’s unreal. We feel very lucky to get to do this.” To immediately steal the hearts of music fans internationally is an additional milestone most artists don’t achieve until later on — another indicator that Culture Wars is truly a gem on the rise with a catch-worthy sound and remarkable talent waiting to be discovered even further.
While there is no exact release date slated, we’re excited to see everything this album has to offer — and so is Culture Wars. Whether you’ve listened to them before or not, we’re confident this upcoming record will be playing on repeat.
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GALLERY: Culture Wars at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California (Spring 2025)
