“We made the record when we were in a good position in our lives,” says James. “We were travelling the world, breaking even finally and in a really blessed position for dudes who started at 18 and wanted to be in a band. So being able to get there, you could say, is like being in heaven – but we’re still having to deal with a lot of the same issues, and shit still gets you down, and life can still be a bitch. So it’s kind of a duality, and Down In Heaven is a cheeky, sarcastic way to put it.”
Staying true to the Chicago DIY scene from which they emerged, Twin Peaks’ new album was entirely written and recorded by the boys themselves, and co-produced with their friend and long-time collaborator R. Andrew Humphrey in his living room.
“The recording process was really relaxing,” James says. “We were living it up at our friend’s plush estate, in a nice big house on the lake. It was like instead of clocking in at a studio, you’d wake up late in the day and when you’re not recording, you could go for a hike, write or just hang out, and just come in and play your parts when you need to. It was a much more organic and natural way to be recording and writing stuff. It was 20 times better than any way we’ve been able to record and make music before.”
In their seven years together, Twin Peaks have always been adamant about overseeing the album-making process from start to finish. So anything less than co-producing an album was never an option.
“The way that your record sounds is the most important thing – it’s like a work of art,” says James. “I’ve always been into the sonic aesthetic of a record and perfection has always been a big deal for me, so it’d be very tough for us to give it up to someone else, even if they’re qualified. If you haven’t worked with someone before and they just blindly go into producing your record, that is a scary thing. So we’ve always wanted to keep control of it.”
Citing legends like The Beatles, The Stooges and The Rolling Stones as majoir inspirations, the vintage feel of Twin Peaks’ recordings is an intentional throwback to their rock forefathers.
“I hope we inspire people, especially younger fans, to go back and dig through some records that might have influenced these ones,” James says. “It’s funny because I’m influenced by a lot of classic rock shit nowadays, like being a Stones fan, but I didn’t really start listening to them until two or three years ago. I didn’t necessarily grow up with them. So I hope it gets people into older stuff and really, I hope people enjoy it.”
For a group of friends who started out young and traded studying for the stage, the boys exhibit wisdom beyond their years and a work ethic to be applauded. But underlying all of the band’s successes is a passion and commitment for what they do.
“It’s sort of a musicians’ record, and I think a large part of that is that it’s been at least two years since we recorded the last record, and we’ve just played so much since then and got so much tighter as a band, and we’re a lot more aware of everyone’s strengths and our roles as musicians, so it feels a little bit more intentional and cohesive.
“I mean, here we are still doing it happily together and making it work. But, you know, the road can be trying and people have this vision of it as like a very glamorous, wild lifestyle while on tour, but it takes a lot of energy mentally and physically. But we get along well because some of the guys have known each other their whole lives. We’re very used to each other and we know each other’s boundaries well. It’s a marriage.”
Twin Peaks are hitting Aussie shores for the first time in May, coinciding with the album release, and as a country, our reputation precedes us.
“Most bands I’ve talked to that have been to Australia have said that it’s the coolest place, so we’re super excited to see what it’s like. We hope that we have really good shows and get to soak up some of the culture.”
BY MATTHEW GALEA
