In The Whale’s will release new EP Quicksand on 21st October. The band is recently finished a North American tour with Electric Six and are returning to Colorado at the end of the month for a short run of home state headline dates to celebrate the release. In the Whale’s music resonates with anyone thirsting for the time when bands simply rocked. That nostalgia, and the Denver, CO based duo’s (Nate Valdez and Eric Riley) need for a vehicle to figure out a way to navigate a world that’s quick to judge and write off a book by its cover is the foundation for their alternative punk blues sound that is showcased on the band’s new EP.
Celebrating their five year anniversary in 2016, the band has grown significantly from thanks to a relentless tour schedule and a live show that’s likened to a sonic boom.
You can check out In The Whale’s American Eyes from the upcoming EP below!
We managed to catch up with the band as they talk about the new EP, latest song, fans and more!
How proud are you of the upcoming release of Quicksand?
We think this is the best recording we’ve put out so far. Bill Stevenson, our producer, really pushed us to put forth our absolute best performances and we think that it’s a noticeable difference compared to the other recordings. We’re extremely proud of it.
Tell us a bit about the EP, what inspired you to write it?
This day and age, in this country, all of us are being bombarded by the media with all sorts of propaganda and it’s completely overwhelming. With 2016 being an election year, it’s turned up to 11. The EP is about figuring out how to weed through all of that stuff and find some assemblance of the truth or something good.
How is this different to your previous releases?
Lyrically, the EP is the most “mature” as far as subject matter goes. It’s still a fun energetic raw sound, but lyrically it’s definitely more serious. Also we think we really nailed the sound of In The Whale. It sounds really big but is still very simple and stripped down.
What is your favorite song on the EP?
We love each one of our children equally!
How’s the reaction to “American Eyes” been?
We thought people would be a little confused because again, it’s a pretty serious subject matter. We we’re very pleasantly surprised to see that our audience liked the song overall. We have to be careful about moving too far in a certain direction, musically.
How has the North American tour with Electric Six been?
Electric Six is a dream to tour with. They’re hilarious people and really easy going. No divas in that group. The shows have been terrific. We were lucky enough to play the studio at Webster Hall in NYC, and House Of Blues New Orleans, as well as a bunch of other amazing places. The crowds have been rowdy as hell. All in all, we have no complaints!
Are you looking forward to playing your home state of Colorado this month?
Absolutely! It’s been too long! Home is our favorite place to play for sure.
How much do your fans mean to you guys?
Our fans are the best. This job is really really hard at times. But when people come out and sing the words, buy merchandise, or write us online about how much they enjoyed themselves at the show or how much they enjoy our music, it makes it all worth it.
If you could work with any band, who would it be and why?
If we’re talking about recording, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins has always been a bucket list guy for us to work with. If we’re talking about a tour, Clutch is a band we admire a lot and always talk about wanting to tour with. Also it would be insane to be able to watch them perform every night.