Inner Wave has been going through a period of change.
Having released their latest album, See You When I Get Back, recently, the band has been going through some difficult times – getting sober, navigating grief and loss, and maturing both singularly and as a group. But that hasn’t stopped them from making the decision to change their sound to something more upbeat, having realised that those are the songs that crowds at their shows respond to the most.
A change of sound can make or break a band, but in Inner Wave’s case, this really feels like a high point for them – both figuratively and creatively. Having recorded the album entirely at their personal recording and rehearsal space, lovingly referred to as “The Swamp," this period of time has also seen the band make their first-ever film, also titled “See You When I Get Back."
To celebrate the release of both the album and the film, Inner Wave sat down to answer some questions about what’s changed for them and how they tried a thousand new things when putting See You When I Get Back together.
The album has been described as a ‘big leap’ for you guys – what has inspired this change?
Since our last album, Apoptosis, we’ve all gone through our own individual change; changes in relationships, whether romantic, platonic, or familial. Our inner and external worlds have broadened significantly. As a unit, we’ve spent a lot of the last 6 years together, touring around the world, sitting in transit, writing music together, laughing at dumb shit, and going through unexpected pains. As we all know, the pain that you don’t foresee is usually what brings up the real change inside of every one of us. It’s a huge challenge to face, but without it, there’s no moving forward. I think that these pains and changes have allowed us to take that ‘big leap’ with SEE YOU WHEN I GET BACK. We wrote an album, which has been part of our process for a very long time now. We made a movie! Which is our biggest feat yet. And a book to showcase the making of the project – all thanks to impermanence.
This is your fifth album – is there anything you’d do differently if you went back and did your career again?
I love all the silly answers like “be born rich” [or] “make more connections”, only because money makes certain things easier. But nah that’s stupid. Money doesn’t buy you taste or a good ear, brain and character. Inner Wave wouldn’t sound the way it does now if we went back and did it over again. We’d probably miss some things.
Can you tell me a bit about how you made ‘See You When I Get Back’?
We set out to start writing around July 2022 during our big tour phase. We went to CDMX and bunkered down at a recording studio there. Nothing really came out of it, aside from laughs, memories, and heartbreak. We continued writing at our studio, The Swamp; we’d be on the road and write while at home. Soon enough, we had a batch of songs we felt good about. So we started re-recording all the demos we had, trying out new recording techniques, exploring the unknown, being unafraid of trying new things, and leaving no stone unturned.
What inspired the album’s name?
The name comes from the experience of us constantly in and out of home, in and out of cities and countries. We have our loved ones at home, and when we’re home, we try our best to spend as much time with them as possible. On the road, you socialize and make friends, and those nights can be very special, but eventually it’s van call and you gotta head out and get back on the road.
You’ve said you tried recording things in different ways – what was that like?
It was very interesting to see the process go from something that always felt diy, to something that felt big and powerful. We’ve collected gear and recording equipment throughout the years and share a lot of it amongst each other. This time around we leaned into the unknown, reaching new heights when it comes to production. We tried things like way too many condenser mics on the drums, headphone mics on snare and kick. It’s all recorded in-house at The Swamp, where we once recorded an album with all the equipment on the floor. No tables!
It’s been a difficult time for you all over the past year or so – how are you all doing?
We’re super stoked on the release of the project. We just held our first movie premiere at the Gardena Cinema. It was a very special and wholesome night for us. Our family, friends, and fans were all there. There’s something so magical about watching a movie with 700 people in the audience. The laughs hit harder.
Is there anything you always want to be asked and would like the chance to just have a chat about?
This is a good question. I don’t think we’ve been asked this one before, but we’d love to be asked when the next screen of See You When I Get Back is. It’s on April 11, in Long Beach at the Art Theatre – as well as many other independent theaters!
