Cold War Kids live at the Majestic Theatre
Coming off of the high watermarks of 2014’s Hold My Home with its smash single “First” and the Capitol Records-backed LA Divine in 2017 feeling mostly satiated, Willett began to hone in on what was most exciting and integral to him in both the Cold War Kids recipe as well as in the current music climate as he began to write new material. He obsessed over the seemingly never-ending stream of Kanye West-produced records released in the summer of 2018, enamored of their breezy compactness and fresh feeling, which excited him to explore a new working relationship with his producer of favor, Lars Stalfors (St. Vincent, Foster the People). The pair entered the studio to write a very specific, of-the-moment type of album, encouraged to take the doors off of the idea of what the band was to see where it could go.
Willett and Stalfors incorporated some pieces of the core CWK sound while stripping away the rafter-reaching production of their records, aiming for leaner, tighter tunes. And, taking inspiration from a slogan on a T-shirt made by the band’s bass player and resident visual artist Matt Maust, Willett had the project’s title, lyrical themes, and structure in mind even before any songs had been completed—three unique eight-song volumes called New Age Norms.
Writing from urgent, of-the-moment perspectives to respect and reflect the day’s normative behaviors and climate, Willett focused on a bird’s eye view of the current values he was observing all around him—the new norms of class, gender, race, and power that are creating our modern world. The first volume’s eight songs explore the connective tissue apparent to him in the landscape, with the sense of optimism and uplifting positivity he feels necessary to approach any issue or song.
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Opener: Overcoats
More than just a band, Overcoats is a friendship, an artistic duo whose songwriting is musical empathy that verges on telepathy. The two have a clear vision of the sound they want to make together - they operate under one creative impulse. To compose the percussion for the track, Overcoats hit buckets, glass jars, bottles, and whatever else they could find in the alleyway outside their studio. They approach music-making with both freedom and focus, but the strength of their connection, in both voice and as artists is what makes Overcoats so distinct. They share a sonic intuition - and the result is mesmerizing.
