Columbus, Ohio’s The Candescents have come a long way from this time last year, and even just the past six months. Following an incredibly busy summer of single releases and tour dates alongside We Are Scientists, the band is celebrating the release of their debut EP, Riverside Dr. via Dirty Hit today!
The band has been defying expectations – their own, and the expectations of others – since their inception, and Riverside Dr. is the result of that hard work, drive, and just a little bit of chaotic energy that makes them special. With Riverside Dr. out now, The Candescents are gearing up to his the road once more with Pale Waves and are even already working on more new music!
Listen to Riverside Dr. and read more about the band below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about The Candescents for anyone who might be hearing you for the first time?
After cutting our teeth and developing our sound playing house shows in Columbus (OH), we’re now signed to Dirty Hit and primed to take over the world.
You guys have been busy this summer releasing new music and playing a ton of shows, including your run with We Are Scientists. What has been the highlight of your year so far?
Dropping our first single. The day we got bluetooth in the band van was pretty cool, too.
You recently announced your debut EP, Riverside Dr., out this September! What are you most excited for fans to hear on this release?
2 am.
Did you have any major goals in mind when you first starting working on the EP? Was there anything you knew you wanted to accomplish, especially since it would be some of the first music that many would hear from The Candescents?
When I first heard Arctic Monkey’s debut album, I was hooked because it felt like beautiful chaos, like they could go anywhere at any given time. A lot of good, young bands share this trait, sometimes through having raw chaotic recordings, and other times it’s through the enthusiastic nature of the songwriting. Along with capturing this energy, we wanted to make a collection of songs that feels ambitious, diverse, and as exciting to listen to as it was to write.
What was the most rewarding or exciting part about the writing and recording process? Did you learn any important lessons while working on the EP?
When I have an idea that seems absolutely crazy, but then try it out and realize it’s actually great… that’s the best feeling in the world. Confidence in your own ideas is key. The instrumental after Back of Your Hand’s choruses, along with that song’s entire structure, was one of those moments.
You’ve been teasing the EP all summer with new singles, most recently, “Back Of Your Hand.” Can you tell us about this track? What inspired it?
Some asshole from another local band told us we should stay lo-fi because it would cover up our ‘mistakes’. It was such a back handed compliment… so we went home and wrote a song telling him to fuck off. It ended up getting us signed, so joke’s on him.
With the EP out now, do you have any show or tour plans lined up? When can fans expect to hear these new songs live?
We’re touring with Pale Waves again soon, you’ll definitely hear the songs live then.
Do you have any other exciting plans coming up? Could fans expect to hear any more new music after the EP drops?
We have tons of new music written, so I’d expect another EP or two, then a bunch of albums if we’re talking long term. We’re on our way out to LA now to do some recording, and I’m actually recording some demos in a mobile studio we set up in our band van in between interviews today…
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for listening, it means the world to us.
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