CATCHING UP WITH … THE WANTS (and two playlists)

We connected with New York-based trio The Wants in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, following the release of their brilliant debut album Container, on 13th March 2020 (Council Records). By some coincidence, both aesthetically and thematically it manages to capture the anxiety of a world ravaged by pandemic confusion and political dysphoria. The apocalyptic sounds of ‘Clearly a Crisis’ and ‘Nuclear Party’ combined with the tins of food - described by NME as ‘stockpiling chic’ - on the cover artwork is truly a soundtrack for the quarantine. If you haven’t already listened to it in full, we strongly suggest you do so.

After packing out The Lexington at the end of February and supporting Dry Cleaning at their sold out Village Underground shows, we look forward to having them back in London (post covid-19 regulations, that is). Despite their unconventional riffs and tones, their music will get you on the dancefloor pretty fast, and their live show is elegant, intense and a burst of angular noise and energy.

Introduce yourselves!

Madison Velding-VanDam: Hello. I’m Madison Velding-VanDam of The Wants. I write songs, sing, play guitar, record the aforementioned sounds as well as others; shoot, edit, and color correct videos, de facto band manager. 

Heather Elle: bass, synth, and vocals. 

Jason Gates: play drums, make sounds, help make records. 

What’s your songwriting process?

Heather: Right now we’re being forced to write remotely while on COVID-19 lockdown, but the more methods to the madness the better. 

Jason: I contribute to ideas and they hopefully spawn other ideas. 

Madison: The process is to constantly toil and conceive of new ways to flip around and turn an idea on its head. Sometimes an idea starts from a beat with an intriguing drum sound, sometimes I’ll write a ballad on an acoustic guitar and shelve it until it comes together with one of those beats, sometimes Jason will record a malfunctioning IT system at his work and we’ll use that rhythmic sample to craft a track. Our process is always morphing. 

Tell us about the artwork on your latest releases and your main visual influences? 

Jason: That’s Madison Carroll. She’s amazing. 

Madison: Madison Carroll is effectively our “fourth member”. I’ve collaborated with her on the entirety of the ‘Container’ album campaign, taking photographs and videos. I was hell bent on creating a singular and immersive universe. I couldn’t get there until some of my ideas met her mind. Jo Ann Callis, Jimmy DeSana, Alec Soth were some of our most frequent references. 

How did it feel getting your debut album out? 

Madison: We worked on ‘Container’ for three or so years, with some versions of demos dating back a decade. So there’s some relief in getting it out and looking forward. Although we’re amidst a pandemic and quarantine, I feel very stimulated by it, and even more fervor for the themes of our record, swirling around the “dark heart” of America and all its complexities. I think we’re forced to come together in the confusing gray areas in these times of great stress and ‘Container’, for me, is about the struggles of consumerism, materialism, overworking, anxiety, and stress culminating in confusion and loss of intimacy and humanity. 

Heather: To me, it felt bittersweet. Releasing work you’re proud you helped make with people you love feels wonderful, but ‘Container’ was released on Friday March 13th, right when people began social distancing due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Our co-album release show the following week with our friends Bambara was postponed, but I’m happy we could give everyone 

a record to listen to during the lockdown. Jason and Madison put a huge amount of work into the recordings, and we meticulously chose the order of the track listing for a focused front-to-back listen. 

Jason: It feels pretty good. 

Favourite gig to date that you’ve played?

Madison: We had a few truly special gigs on this last UK/France tour. Birmingham at the Sunflower Lounge was undersold, but ended up having a great crowd and a great support from ‘Limpid’, who brought really unique blipping sounds and a strange energy in her “American Pyscho” plastic raincoat murder cleanup outfit. 

Heather: For me, it was the last show of the last tour, La Route Du Rock Festival in France. Arte.tv filmed our whole set, and the entire festival was run so professionally. We all felt lucid and confident from playing non-stop the few weeks prior. 

Jason: The Lexington in London. 

Your favourite venue?

Heather: The Lexington in London. There’s always a magical feeling in the air and something strange that happens, well, to me at least. 

Madison: The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston is my favorite nowadays. I think ‘Alphaville’ is the parallel in Brooklyn. It’s a dive-y place to go and see bands that are just starting out. That’s a great feeling. 

Jason: hmm, it changes. 

Best festival experience? 

Heather: Again, La Route Du Rock. 

Madison: The only festival we’ve played so far is ‘La Route Du Rock’ so yeah I guess that’s right. 

And biggest musical / performer heroes? 

Heather: Gallup, Rourke, Deal, Dengler, and Foxton. 

Jason: Siouxsie and the Banshees, Robert Smith.

Madison: David Byrne and Matt Berninger. 

How have you been handling lockdown? Have you got a routine? 

Madison: I’m a homebody so this has been an opportunity for me to be myself with no regrets. I’ve taken this as an opportunity to get to work on our second record, 

which I was unsure when we were going to find the time to do quickly with our busy schedules. I’ve packed a mini version of my studio and headed with my girlfriend to her parent’s basement, setup with a drum set, mic, and privacy. I’m very fortunate. 

Heather: Touchin’ my bass, not my face.

Jason: NYC is getting creepy. I’m luckily ok though. 

Have you developed any hobbies you didn’t have before? 

Heather: Last week I learned how to make killer diner-style home fries. I’ve also developed a stronger interest in economics. 

Jason: I’m trying to cook a bit.

Madison: I’ve learned a lot about the stock market. It’s a good time to invest. 

Best films for isolation? 

Heather: One of my favorite documentaries, Ondi Timoner’s ‘We Live In Public’, would be interesting for everyone to watch at this point in time. It follows a crazy dot-com millionaire who arguably created the world’s first reality show on the first internet-TV network as an art project. In the late 90’s, he chose 100 artists to live in a capsule hotel he built out in downtown Manhattan — a voluntary drug-fueled lockdown experiment broadcasted online 24/7. The current COVID-19 social distancing policy has become our own twisted but involuntary lockdown experiment with technology and social media becoming the necessary drug to fuel our need for human connection, and for some, to keep the money coming in. 

Jason: I watched the original Blade Runner the other night & it felt well aligned with my mood.

Madison: I’ve returned to watching films religiously, rewatching many old favorites, like Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil”, Vincenzo Natali’s “Cube”, and Tarkovsy’s “Solaris”. But I’m primarily focused on watching all of Errol Morris’ movies. “The Fog of War” and “American Dharma” are two I’ve been meaning to watch. 

And have you read anything good recently? 

Heather: I’ve been slowly moving through some dense readings — Susan Sontag’s essays from the 60’s and 70’s and Tony Conrad’s writings from the early 60’s until he passed in 2012. Beautiful minds. 

Jason: Unfortunately, I haven’t. 

Madison: Malcolm X’s Autobiography.

Best quarantine meal? 

Jason: pasta & vegetables.

Madison: A Jell-O mold shaped like COVID-19. 

Heather: It sounds really strange on paper, but just trust me here: Fusilli pasta with tuna, mayo, curry powder, and hot pepper vinegar. This recipe was the best thing I got out of a past relationship! 

What’re your current musical obsessions?

Madison: We regularly update two playlists on our Spotify page called “What Are The Wants Listening To?”, a collection of music from any era that’s piquing our interest at the time, and “The Wants’ Favorite New Music”, which is a collection of peers, often that we’ve performed with, as well as other musicians spanning genres that interest us. 

Heather: (anything from my mood board spotify playlist that fits with your choices) 

Jason: Rrose “Columns”; Autechre 

A song you wish you’d written?

Heather: Echo & the Bunnymen ‘The Killing Moon’.

Jason: Anything off PJ Harvey’s White Chalk. It’s better that it was written by her though. 

Madison: “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode 

The best song for cheering up, or your favourite party song?

Heather: Madonna ‘Into the Groove’ 

Jason: Madonna’s ‘Hung up’ 

Madison: ABBA “Dancing Queen”, of course! 

Your favourite song to perform / that you’ve written; 

Heather: ‘Ape Trap’ has always been, and continues to be, my favorite Wants’ song to listen to and play live. 

Jason: Maybe ‘Ramp’ or ‘Container’. It changes. 

Madison: My favorite songs to play are not my favorite to listen to. “Aluminum” is one of my favorites to listen to, that or “Waiting Room”, but I love performing “Nuclear Party” and “Container”. Maybe “Hydra” is my favorite to perform at this moment. 

Anything new you’d recommend. 

Heather: Our friends from Brooklyn, P.E., just put out their debut record ‘Person’.

Madison: The new NIN’s record “Ghosts VI: Locusts” is beautiful. 

Jason: Rrose. I’m also curious how the new Perfume Genius record will be. 

Words by Maddy O’Keefe