Dating back to the '80s, Orange County, CA, home to acts such as Social Distortion and the Offspring, has delivered its share of alternative and indie acts. Cold War Kids, a band that formed in Orange County in 2004, has tried to tap into that energy during its 20-year run.
“We had done a trilogy of these eight-song EPs,” says Willett. “We just wanted to mix it up and do something different. After doing that, we wanted to get back to a more focused album with a vision. I got together with a lot of different producers and tried new things. It’s a little different approach. We didn’t start it and say, ‘We’re gonna make this record in four months.’ It was more low-key. I wanted to do it in a way that was on my schedule and as if it was a more sustainable day-time job.
“It’s funny because we had that song for a very long time,” he says. “We had started recording during the pandemic and had recorded so much music. We were struggling because I was looking for something different and couldn’t find the sweet spot. We started the song with Carlos de la Graza, but then his daughters’ band the Linda Lindas blew up and he was about to start a Paramore record.”
The live show at House of Blues will celebrate two decades worth of material, and Willett says the band has particularly enjoyed presenting material from the past four years in a live setting.