Civil Twilight are a band of brothers, they have a bond that is unbreakable, which in part, is what makes their music so incredibly transcendent. It defies constructions – soaring and billowing to vast, lofty heights.
The band released their third studio album ‘Story of an Immigrant’ in 2015. This is where Civil Twilight really hit their stride, ‘Story of an Immigrant’ is an album that explodes with passionate odes of youthful exuberance, resonates with deeper moments that delve into a breadth of emotion and rises up in a fit of freeing euphoria. Their songs are powerful tapestries that capture the human condition at its most vulnerable and complex, and set to an explosive alt-rock soundtrack, it’s an irresistible combination.
We caught up with the band’s singer, Steven McKellar, to discuss his favourite musical moments of the past year. From Father John Misty, straight to the struggles of finding that illusive spark of inspiration, we talk about it all.
1- “Listening to my three good mates sing ‘Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman’ by Bryan Adams while I danced with my mum at my wedding.”
2- “Hearing a clip of our music in an NPR program break.”
4- “Sitting with my old roommate one night, listening to ‘Bored in the USA’ by Father John Misty for the first time. I remember thinking to myself ‘fuck, I wish I’d written this song’. That bastard.”
5- “This might sound lame, but, to be honest, once this last record came out and after writing so many songs for it with the band, I spent a few months away from the instruments. And weeks later, after dabbling and strumming for a few days, something broke through and I realized that I could write again, that I wasn’t fully drained of inspiration and that there was something deeper on the horizon.”
6- “Hearing Leonard Cohen’s latest record and lingering on the wonder of his ongoing progression as an artist at 81 years old, and realizing that I’ve got an entire life to explore music and poetry, that I don’t need to rush. Thank you Mr Cohen.”
Civil Twilight’s new album ‘Story of an Immigrant’ is out now. Buy it here.
