The Wldlfe Breaks Orbit With “Revolver, 2026”

BY SASHA BASANT

Nearly ten years after the release of their debut album, The Wldlfe is back with “Revolver, 2026” via Riser House records. Made up of Jansen Hogan, Carson Hogan, and Jack Crane, the Nashville alt-pop trio has spent the years since their first release growing as writers, producers and performers, finding more confidence in the kind of band they want to be while continuing to push themselves creatively.  

For long-time listeners the album is a reflection of how much The Wldlfe has changed since their debut, I Lost You, 2017. The album brings together a wide range of sounds and stories, with songs like “Heart” offering a warm introduction to the new era while the title track brings the story full circle. Inspired by the open track “Ruby,” the album carries a story throughout, with each song adding to what came before it. 

That evolution can also be heard in the way the band approached the album. Wanting to focus on being a band, they leaned into physical instruments and the feeling of making music together in a room rather than relying on an endless collection of samples and loops. Nearly a decade into their career The Wldlfe are no longer trying to figure out what the band is, but instead they’re finding new ways to explore what it can become.

In an interview with Televised Magazine, The Wldlfe discussed the story behind “Revolver,2026,” how their approach to writing and producing has changed over nearly a decade, the importance of making music as a band, and what they’ve learned while creating their latest album.  

I’m just going to come straight out and say it, this is a heavy album, there is so much heartbreak, loss and mourning. And then there's “Lips,” which gives a little bit of sparkle to all that weight. What made you want to include that contrast? 

The Wldlfe: There is a bit of a story throughout the whole album that was inspired by the first track (Ruby). It’s sort of a coming of age/romance and every song, like Lips, is a little piece of that story. Sonically it just felt right to be a bit lighter and more fun.

You guys have never really shied away from touching that more raw and personal side. When you’re writing songs like these, do you find that you're processing those emotions as you're writing or do you find yourself more often reflecting on something that's already happened?

The Wldlfe: For this album, the songs are less directly personal so we were pulling a bit more from places we’ve been rather than where we are currently. That being said, there are plenty of songs we’ve written throughout the years that are real time processing and direct reflections of what we’re going through - It really just depends. 

The first single you released off this album was “Heart,” what was it about that song that made you feel like it was the right one to introduce the album to everyone?

The Wldlfe:  Maybe it was recency bias since it was the last song written for the album, but it just felt like a good re-introduction after we had been away for a while. It has such a warmth and nostalgic feel to it and it just felt like a great way to kick off the new era. 

The album ends with “Revolver, 2026” the title track itself and it feels like such a fitting way to close out everything the album had given us. When you were putting the album together did you know “Revolver, 2026” was going to be the closing statement and what made it  feel like the right ending to the album? 

The Wldlfe: I think we absolutely knew that was going to be the last song. It felt like such a perfect bookend to the story we were trying to tell and such a strong end to the album both lyrically and sonically. 

There are a lot of different influences coming through on “Revolver.” Was there a particular sound or influence that you were really excited to explore with this album?

The Wldlfe:  We really wanted to focus on being a band as silly as that may sound. Really utilizing the physical instruments in the room and not getting lost in an infinite collection of samples or splice loops. We really wanted to make something that felt timeless.

You're about to take “Revolver” out on the road, is there a particular song off the album that you're looking forward to playing live? 

The Wldlfe:  All of them, but if I have to pick, I’d say we feel like Ruby is really special and are super excited to play that one. 

Your first album, “I lost you, 2017,”  came out in 2017, which was nearly 10 years ago. Looking back at where you were then compared to where you are now, how has the way you write and create music together evolved?

The Wldlfe: It’s changed completely. I think we are much more sure of the kind of band we are and are much more confident as writers and producers and performers. It’s a much more fun environment now to be able to explore and push ourselves as a band as opposed to 10 years ago just figuring out what The Wldlfe even was. 

The last two albums that you guys have released, “Heaven is a place” and “Goodbye to all of that,”  were both followed by deluxe editions. When you're making an album, do you usually end up with a lot of additional songs and ideas that don't make the original track list, and could we potentially see that happen again with “Revolver, 2026?”

The Wldlfe: More often what happens is a song gets written after we’re done recording that we end up falling in love with and want to put out, but don’t want to wait until the next album to work on it. Sometimes it just feels like it fits the vibe of the album we were just working on and maybe there just isn’t time or the ability to get it on the album. I wouldn’t rule anything out with Revolver. I guess we’ll have to see!

What was something you learned about yourselves or each other while making this album?

The Wldlfe: After our last album Heaven is a place, we felt like we landed in a really good spot with where we were as a band and the music we were making. While making this album, we learned more about how to push ourselves and grow and evolve our sound while staying true to what we wanted to be as a band. 

You've already given fans for different pieces of “Revolver, 2026” through the singles. Do you feel like those songs give people a good idea of what the full album sounds like or is there a still a lot they haven't heard yet. 

The Wldlfe: I think there is a lot of variety on this record. We tried to pick singles that covered a wide range, but there are still plenty of surprises left for people when the full album comes out!