Doubt, the debut EP from Provo R&B/rock band The CMDWN is something we can all relate to. Self consciousness, fear of failure and and doubt, all themes tackled by the band on the EP, are also some issues that they needed to overcome while writing and recording it. Creating Doubt didn’t come without struggles – time constraints and lineup changes just to name a couple – but the group has come out stronger, ready to take the world by storm. With Doubt dropping on August 19th and multiple tracks from the EP out now, The CMDWN are stronger than ever.
Interview by Dom Vigil
You are getting ready to release your debut EP, Doubt on August 19th. What are you most excited for listeners to hear on it?
I think the biggest thing we’re excited for everyone to hear is the diversity we put into this release. No two songs really sound the same, and some may be very unexpected for people that have heard our released music.
How do you feel you’ve grown as musicians or simply as people with the writing and recording of Doubt?
We’ve become a lot better at knowing what we want out of a song, and knowing how to get there. We’ve become a better unit working together and being in sync when writing new ideas.
You’ve had some changes and additions to your lineup while working on Doubt. How do you feel those have affected the sounds and themes on the EP?
That kind of ties in to the last question’s answer. Us four are on the same page about everything 99% of the time. The addition of River and Blue has really improved our quality of writing and expanding creatively.
So far, you’ve released “Shiver” and “Empty Room” from the EP. Along with the music video for “Empty Room,” you’ve talked about the song’s themes of self consciousness and overcoming it. There’s a lot to be said about tackling fear and self consciousness when working on an album for the world to hear – did you have to battle with that at all while writing these songs?
Definitely. Blue recorded, mixed and mastered the tracks and we wrote it all. River did most of the filming and editing for our photos and videos. We collaborated with other people but everything on the EP at the end of it all is us. There is a quote that states, “No work of art is ever finished, only abandoned.” And that statement has never been more relevant. If there is a negative response from anyone, we can only blame ourselves. But on the other hand, everything we accomplish is accomplished on our own and no one can take credit for what we’ve done. There’s definitely a lot of pressure, but I think with what we’re trying to do currently, that’s the best thing for the group.
Because the EP is titled Doubt, can we expect to hear more songs with similar subject matter?
Oh, for sure. It’s such a vast subject that’s always relevant in anyone’s life. That’s something that every passionate artist is fighting with constantly. I don’t know why we never write happy songs but I know we always find inspiration in the negative things we deal with. But it’s how we turn those negatives into positive things. Plus, sad progressions are always the prettiest ones, haha. Either way, it’s definitely subject matter that will remain consistent in our work, whether it’s planned or subconscious.
What was the most difficult part about writing and recording Doubt?
The deadlines we set for ourselves were for sure hard to meet. I think we got a little over-zealous and excited to finally get new music out that we picked a release date that was a tad unrealistic. But in our excitement we made it work regardless of how often we had to stay up all night. There were a lot of last minute things we had to figure out as well. I feel a lot of people think creative projects work just like any other structured project, but I don’t care who you are or how professional a company is, creative projects are always a mess. We had the foundation of the idea, but we realized it as we went and expanded or retracted whatever we felt we should in the process. The process was fun for sure, but it wasn’t easy
What was the most rewarding part?
Definitely seeing the response as we release each song. Seeing people picking up on the ideas and emotions we put into a song and letting us know how much they enjoy it is incredible.
What would you like listeners to be able to take away from Doubt or your live performances?
We just want people to feel what we felt when we wrote the songs. We want people to make memories at our shows, go home after and tell all their friends that they should have went with them. We don’t want people to just come and dance or listen to our songs because the chorus is catchy, or whatever. We want people to really listen to the record and to come out to the shows and share that experience with us.
With the EP dropping soon, do you have any plans to hit the road in 2016?
There’s a few things in the works, nothing we can publicly announce yet.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Since the beginning of The Comedown, every opportunity we’ve been lucky enough to come across has been because of our friends and fans supporting us and sharing our music, so thank you to everyone who’s into what we do! You can follow us on all social media at @thecmdwn.
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