Based in L.A. for more than a decade, Cold War Kids formed in 2004,
soon after singer/guitarist/pianist Nathan Willett and bassist Matt
Maust met in college and bonded over their obsession with the Blur
album . After making their way through their homegrown Southern
California scene, the band released to major critical praise and much
adoration from the mid-2000s blogosphere. The notably darker followed
two years later, while 2011's introduced a more anthemic element to
the Cold War Kids catalog. With 2013's , the band returned to their
fierce live sound and offered up their hit single "Miracle Mile." In
addition to yielding the smash hit "First" (a track that shot to No. 1
on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart, where it spent six weeks in
the top spot), debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Alternative Albums
chart and reached the top 20 of the Top Rock Albums chart. On the
heels of , Cold War Kids felt emboldened to bring a more deliberate,
purposeful spirit to their music than ever before. "With our last
record doing so well, there was a feeling of wanting to challenge
ourselves and create something culture-shaping and important—not
just for our fans, but for anyone who loves music," says Willett. "We
wanted to open ourselves up and be real and vulnerable about who we
are and what we want to say, and at the same time push for a certain
greatness." Along with elevating Cold War Kids' songwriting on 2017's
, that ever-renewing sense of purpose continues to breathe new life
into the band. "I've seen a lot of bands get burnt out on their own
songs after playing them for years, but for me that's not the case,"
says Maust. "I've been playing 'Hospital Beds' for 13 years, and it
means something different to me now than it did when we first started.
I don't know where that spark comes from, but I don't think I can stir
it up on my own. You have to keep constantly showing up—and remember
that this thing you created is really special, and you've got to do
whatever you can to keep it alive."
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15/10/2019 Last update