Interview: Wakelee on their Debut Album Coming April 14

Written by Hannah Goldberg, Photo by Eve Mahaney

Wakelee, an indie/emo trio made up of twin brothers Alex (frontman/guitarist) and David Bulmer (drums), and their friend Elliot Shiang (vocals/bass) are excited to release their self-titled debut album on April 14th. The three formed in 2019 after meeting at a show in New York City, and the rest is history. Setting the tone for their upcoming 12-track  LP, wakelee’s recent releases display an expressive palette of vulnerability, conveying the difficulty of processing emotions. In addition to the album release, wakelee released their single "Tug of War" on March 10. I had the pleasure of interviewing Shiang to learn more about the band’s creative process and their upcoming releases. 

Hannah: How do the current releases (Mood Rings, Outside, and Everything Under the Sun) set the tone for the rest of the album? 

Elliot: The songs are generally about navigating relationships, coping with loss, the mundanity of 9-5 life, and being generally confused and how that’s okay and this is the general theme of the album.

Hannah: Could you describe the creative process in terms of overall writing and production? 

Elliot: We’re very collaborative in both the writing and production process. We switch instruments quite often when recording and often try to find weird sounds and elements to put into the music. We feel being open to each other's ideas and ping ponging concepts has led to some of our best moments.

Hannah: Could you describe the relationship between wakelee and Brian DiMeglio? How did this contribute to the project? 

Elliot: Brian has been a huge influence and creative partner throughout the creation of the album. He moves super quickly and often contributes interesting ideas that can oftentimes be the missing puzzle piece in whatever it is we’re recording at the moment. We’ve known him for almost 4 years at this point and he’ll be our go to producer for quite some time.

Hannah: Who are some of your musical influences? 

Elliot: The 3 of us have a pretty eclectic taste all around. From punk to hip hop to emo to alt-country to Balkan music. Some of our top influences include The 1975, Wilco, Pinegrove, Beatles/Stones, Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Connie Danger.

Hannah: This album is an accomplishment for all of you individually. How does it feel to have the project finished?

Elliot: We’ve been working on this for over 2 years now so it feels like a huge weight lifted. We’ve been writing lots of material that we’ve wanted to move forward with and this feels like a huge milestone to keep the momentum going.

Hannah: What is the next step for you all and how does your album represent that? 

Elliot: The album is our first real statement as a band - and we’re excited for everyone to hear it - but we’re equally excited for what’s ahead of us. The album is a snippet of where we’ve been mentally the past two years and we’re excited to move forward and grow with our sound.