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If Nathan Willett followed his usual impulses, Cold War Kids' 10th album might just have been a five-song EP, or an album with entirely different songs than the 12 ultimately chosen here. Instead, Willett took a rare pandemic-era breather to really contemplate what a Cold War Kids album could, and should, sound like in 2023, and how to infuse the material with meaningful discourse about his life specifically and the state of the world more broadly. Clearly, it was worth the wait: the aptly self-titled result is perhaps the strongest and most well-rounded full-length in the long-running California band's ample catalog, and the purest possible distillation of Cold War Kids' nearly 20-year career.
Over the course of nine studio albums and numerous EPs, Cold War Kids have become a major part of the modern musical landscape thanks to deeply personal songcraft and a commitment to forward motion. "First," their platinum-selling 2015 single, named as the most played track at alternative radio outlets nationwide in the last decade, and 2007's "Hang Me Up To Dry" remaining a festival staple. Their current lineup - Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Matt Maust (bass guitar), David Quon (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, backing vocals, guitar, percussion), and Joe Plummer (drums, percussion) - coalesced in 2016 and has released a whopping four albums and five EPs since then.
"If I've got five songs done that I've worked on in a certain way, I tend to want to put them out as an EP and go do some shows around it," Willett says of his mindset during the early stages of Cold War Kids. "Continually as my brain would go to that place, I'd go, no, just wait, and really put together a full-length record. I needed to approach things very differently and work with some new people in a way that was a little uncomfortable. This album is where I've most felt like I was the executive producer of everything."
At first, Willett thought initial work with producer Carlos de la Garza (Paramore, M83) could be grist for another quick EP. Eventually, he realized one song in particular from those sessions, "Run Away With Me," was leading him down a different path. With its funky groove and huge chorus, "Run Away With Me" set the tone for what was to come on Cold War Kids: 12 high-minded, stylistically diverse songs referencing everything from Sly and the Family Stone and Curtis Mayfield to the Pretenders and Elton John to Happy Mondays and Gang Of Four.
"The band started out with four guys who have very specific tastes and styles, and now it's mostly me making the records in a way I love and have always envisioned," Willett says. "The sound of Cold War Kids has always been there, and I wanted this record to be the ideal, best version of all those things we've always been."
Just as the music on Cold War Kids draws equally from the band's blues-and-soul-driven sonic past as well as fresh forays into dance beats and '80s pop/rock, the album's themes of creative life conflicting with domestic realities reflect Willett's increasingly introspective state of mind. There are songs about breaking up with a trusted therapist ("Another Name"), juggling gender norms ("Double Life") and reckoning with a toxic past ("Toxic Masculinity"), the desire to escape stability ("Stray"), and the beauty of surrender and weakness ("Blame").
Committed to pushing himself just as hard to create the album's sound, Willett turned to a handful of new producers and collaborators, including Militarie Gun's Max Epstein,Casey Lagos (Kesha, Wrabel), Ethan Gruska (Phoebe Bridgers, Weezer), Jenn Decliveo (Miley Cyrus, Hozier), and Malay (Frank Ocean, Lorde).
"Like most people, I spent a lot of time at home during the pandemic with my kids, in many ways for the first time," Willett says. "While my partner was working, I became the mother. I had to shed my identity as a musician and an artist and could no longer play the role of best supportive male provider. I wanted to channel all this struggle and soul-searching, because it gave me a window of insight and access to the feminine experience that I needed to grow and ultimately create this album."
Willett singles out the slow-burning, piano-dominated "Another Name" as a turning point. On the day he was scheduled to work with Gruska for the first time, he'd also had his final session with his longtime therapist. "I started telling Ethan about it, which could have been really awkward with someone I'd never met. It's not easy to walk into a room and just write a song with a stranger," he says. "But instead, it was totally natural. The song came out almost fully formed, and it was probably the single best experience I've ever had working with a producer."
As much as Willett is probing his own psyche on Cold War Kids, he's also taking stock of how he interacts with the people around him. On the surface, the Malay-produced "For Your Love" is a universal song about a universal emotion, but in it Willett finds deeper meaning in holding his crying baby daughter in the middle of the night. Elsewhere, "Betting on Us" is both "a relationship song and a self-reflection song, but it's also about being an artist. It's so much easier to be driven by wanting to play your music and show it to people, and so much harder to have to slow down and say, what is the reason for any of this? What do I hope that this does? Do I want success for its own sake, and if so, I need to not (laughs). I already have so much!"
This conundrum resurfaces in album closer "Starring Role," which was inspired by an epiphany Willett had while idly looking at celebrity gossip on his phone while waiting to pick up a rental car. "On one level, Cold War Kids, and the success we've had, is an absolute miracle beyond anything I would have hoped," he says. "On another level, like anybody, I see wrong moves we made or tours we should have taken or opportunities we blew, and I'm like, aaah! I think there's more mountains for us to climb. You have to be honest and at the same time a little crazy to be like, I want more, but I don't want to be narcissistic or greedy."
Ultimately, Cold War Kids is the culmination of Willett and Maust's two-decade creative partnership, and it embodies the realization that said partnership is still truly worth celebrating. "For so many years, we were white-knuckling it and feeling like we were imposters," Willett admits. "I realized, I can't think that way. If I'm not sure I can listen back to something and know that it's great, then I shouldn't be putting it out."
"This group of friends met and were drawn to each other at a Christian college, and we started the band in a strange environment where we realized, what are we all doing here?," Willet says. "We came from a place of growing up, listening to music, and going to shows, and there's a type of sweetness where we were sheltered from the music industry or wanting to be successful at any cost. Maust and I still have that connection, and it's still an important part of what Cold War Kids are today."
Fantastic show, the pipes on that guy!! I love the new album, It's a new sound for them but good as well, not as edgy as what I'm used to hearing, they played a nice blend of songs. Would def go c them again
Cold War Kids were amazing! They put on a great show!
This show was amazing. I only wish they could have played more songs!
Would have liked hearing more of the older great ones up front mixed with the new ones, but loved the show overall. Thanks for coming to Ohio! (We're from Akron)
I'll admit right off the bat that when it comes to the Cold War Kids I am biased. I love these guys and would stand in the pouring rain to dance and sing along at their show. They did a great job of mixing up some of their old favorites along with the newer stuff. The only complaint is the venue. The indoor LC Pavilion is one of the worst places to see a show I've ever been to. I love the outdoor set-up, but unless you camp out and get there super early there is no way you're actually going to see the band inside.
Awful show. Crowd sucked. Their new music was awful.
Great show! The sound, lights, and overall show was awesome.
They sound EXACTLY like their albums, which is rare these days. If you are a fan already, this show is for you. CWK simply play a great show without stupid concert distractions like dancing and pyrotechnics. That being said, if you aren't a CWK fan already, you may not find the concert very interesting.
A Lull started out strong with their first three songs. Their percussion was amazing! I've never seen a band with three drummers before and it was impressive to say the least. It takes talent to keep all of those rhythms as tight as they did. Their last songs were a bit redundant and so I decided against purchasing their album. The Cold War Kids were pure professionals. They sounded just as amazing live as they do on their records which is a rarity these days. It was fun to see how they interacted with one another on stage. It's great to witness that kind of chemistry between band-mates. Though it's not my favorite song, I was surprised that they didn't play "Mine is Yours" since it is, after all, the name of their tour and the title track off of the new album. I will definitely see them again.
Cold War Kids was a enjoyable show. CWK put on a good perfomance at the sold out First Avenue in Minneapolis. A good set with songs from all their albums but it seemed like a short set. Maybe it was because i enjoyed it so much. A Lull or is it Lull was the opening act who are from Chicago which was a nice opener to go with CWK sound. A Lull plays some spiritual healing music. Puts you in a zone of rythmic beauty with magical melody that causes you to feel like you are in some other musical universe.
Polished but still have that indie soul Cold War Kids continue to build a dedicated fan base (Portland loves this band) and for good reason, a band that builds on one of the best debut albums of the decade "Robbers & Cowards" having seen them on their last two tours they never disappoint.. Putting the new material to the test, Cold War Kids opened with "Royal Blue," a song whose rhythmic intro hinted at Afro pop until the band switched tempo and vocalist Nathan Willett unleashed some impressive falsetto. They followed with another newbie from Mine Is Yours "Finally Begin," a song ready-made for big audiences with its sing-along chorus and Johnnie Russell's neo-Edge guitar work, which would shimmer and echo throughout the performance. Even without pristine production to give them away, Cold War Kids' new songs were relatively easy to spot. "Louder Than Ever" and "Cold Toes On the Cold Floor" sound bigger and far less abrasive than say, the aforementioned hit or "Something Is Not Right With Me" from 2008's Loyalty to Loyalty (which the band, surprisingly, did not play). But they're far less throwaway than critics might have you believe. In the live setting songs like "Bulldozer" ("This is my personal favorite," Willett would note) were allowed to sweat and breathe a little without being stifled by studio gloss. "Bulldozer" brought to mind U2 at their most anthemic -- slightly over-the-top melodrama. Cold War Kids closed out the night with "Flying Upside Down" (another number pulled from Mine Is Yours) as audience members -- a few with "Cold War Kids" scrawled on their arms -- mouthed the lyrics. The band returned for a quick three-song encore, highlighted by "We Used to Vacation," which includes a fitting refrain: "Still, things could be much worse." Whether this band's new direction suits fans or not, it's certainly far more interesting than anything else that might hit the airwaves on your local rock radio station.
I love the Cold War Kids but it was kinda just like listening to the CD of them. They don't have the most showmanship i have ever seen. They play every song exactly the same as it is done on the CD. Which is quite sad becasue they sound great and perform well. But if you were to play the concert side by side with the cd you couldn't tell the difference. The only time they spoke to the crowd was to Thank the supporting act, say hello and say goodbye. You just expect alittle more of a fun performance, mix it up a little. Some more crowd involvement. It was kind of like they wanted to get through the set as quick as possible so they could leave. The set was very short. I think they played 14 songs. A litttle over an hour. Don't get me wrong i think they are great musicians and a great band, but lacked in there live performance.
a lull opened and kicked ass. Never heard of them before so it was good hearing a fresh sound. Being that I'm not a big fan of the new CWK cd, I wasn't impressed with the opener. However I was impressed how good they sound live - almost exactly the same to the point I thought they were lip syncing - but def not the case. They played enough old songs to make the show worth it. Overall fun night. kinda upset they didn't play wedding or every valley is not a lake (2 of my fav's) but did get a tell me in the morning.
I loved the set list, but I didn't feel as though they were playing their best.
Up until their new album, the Cold War Kids were in my top five favorite bands. With the new album they traded their messy, indie-blues in for Come Around Sundown era KOL-esque polished radio rock. Both I and my friend (who saw them on the Loyalty to Loyalty tour) agreed that while their old material still delivers, the new album has changed their entire dynamic as a band. I would recommend that any true fan go, simply for the old material but the night on the whole was extremely underwhelming. I hate to say it but this show changed my view of CWK for the worse. Also the Ogden was much too crowded and the opener was one of the worst I've ever seen.
Cold War Kids new album pales in comparison to their old material. They can say in interviews all they want that they have grown up and are older with kids etc etc... but the fact of the matter is Jacquire King ruined another band. Who else did Jacquire King ruin? Kings of Leon. They should fire him!!!!!!!!!! I understand artists go through periods of growth and make albums that arent as adored as earlier works but in this case he over produced them and created a lame as low energy band and album. Do I believe that Cold War Kids still got it? hell yeah i do...... but they have to fire Jacquire King and tap into the raw talent and abilities they all have. The interesting thing is the crowd doesnt react at all to new material, and even the band seems bored playing it. They definitely had more fun and energy playing old material. Just my 2 cents. Hopefully CWK read this.......ha
First time seeing them at def not last! Loved it. Place was packed.
Show was amazing! They played a lot of old stuff mixed in with the new album. Last encore song was "Saint John" and it brought the place down! Highly recomend.
Without a doubt, the single most amazing vocal performance I have ever witnessed. Nate's control and power is undeniable and immensely impressive. And that's on top of an overall amazing show in every other way. See them, even if you've never heard a single song before; I promise you will not be disappointed.
Very impressed, sounds just as good if not better live! Even better they had a great set list and played almost everything I was hoping to hear. If you get the chance see them live!!!
