Wolf Culture

Interview:

Wolf Culture Article by Sophie Minello

Hailing from Bournemouth, England, Wolf Culture are ready to take over the world. Starting in 2016, they are now comprised of Jay Dervan, Max Dervan, Jake Daniels, and newest member Reece Collins. As of now, the band is throwing themselves into the release of their sophomore album. The new single “Spite” released in December 2019, and it is only the beginning of an exciting journey. In their process of writing and recording the best songs they possibly can, they took a moment to chat with us about what’s to come in the new year.

The introduction of your newest single “Spite” was very cryptic. You kind of rebranded yourselves around this single. What can fans expect from this new and exciting era?

Well, cheers for saying it’s exciting, that’s definitely what we want to hear. We wanted to usher in a new era for the band with a poem Max wrote called “Floods”. It happened completely by accident but summed up exactly what we wanted to say to our listeners. We won’t ruin it by explaining the meaning but we wanted to wipe the slate clean so that we can get on with evolving. There’s nothing that scares us more than stagnating and we promise that’s not happening any time soon. “Spite” is the sharpened tip of the iceberg.

Can you tell us anything about your upcoming sophomore release in 2020?

We can only tell you that we’re here to try and make you feel in an era of humanity that has us brainwashed to feel numb all the live-long day. Max writes from the heart and if he doesn’t want to punch a wall or break down after playing a track then he’s not playing a Wolf Culture song. Expect us to go far deeper than we ever thought was possible when writing Devil’s Plans.

What has your writing process been like for this album?

“Spite” is about being pissed off and it’s never hard to get in the right headspace to write a song like that. That’s how the verses and pre-chorus came about. The hard part was breaking through all those muddy and spiteful moments and creating a chorus that conveys how sometimes you just want the world to STFU for a second.

Who are some of your musical inspirations?

As a band, it’s crazy some of the shit we listen to. Our teenage years were undoubtedly shaped by alternative/ punk music but we don’t like to limit our ears to that. Personally, I like anything as long as its catchy. It can be due to incredibly intricate guitar parts or someone blowing their vocal chords to shit – it doesn’t matter – a good song is a good song; even if its in the pop charts. Although that’s rare as fuck.

You’ve opened for some pretty great punk bands: Tonight Alive, ROAM, Hawthorne Heights, Trophy Eyes, etc. What has been your experience opening for shows like these?

We’ve been lucky to play with bands that we loved and have learned to love. All we can ever hope to do is learn and ensure people have a good time whether headlining or opening.

So far, what has been your favorite show and why?

That’s a tough one. Whilst on tour with Tonight Alive last year, we found out late the night before that we would be playing an acoustic set to a sold out show at Bush Hall in London. Despite the fact that we had only played through the songs acoustically once before, I really think we aced it which was the best feeling in the world at a sold out show. You bet your ass, we practice all day and night before yours now.

What are your must-go places to tour?

Wherever there is Weatherspoon’s. I’m not joking.

New bassist Reece was officially added to the band in November. How does it feel to have a nice solidified set of members again?

It was like losing a brother when we lost Josh, our previous bassist, but he couldn’t have left on a higher note (coming back off the EU tour). Reece has surpassed expectations and has already became a member of the Wolf Culture family. Only legends can replace legends.

What are some of your new year’s resolutions?

Max’s is to try and make it through a tour without getting a cold and crying about it all the time.

bournemouth, england wolfculture.co.uk @wolfcultureuk