Twin Peaks is a band that looks backwards for its music, but whose members look forward when it comes to their attitudes in life.
Having scheduled an interview with Cadien Lake James, the band’s frontman, prior to the results of Tuesday and their show in Madison on Friday, it’s safe to say that neither of us were prepared for a typical interview, and it wasn’t.
Politics aside, the landscape of this country has changed forever. We didn’t go into any specifics about the election itself, but it definitely hung in the background, at least on my side of things.
Regardless, we both agreed despite the obvious significance of what just happened, we’d both try our best to treat the interview as if it was in a vacuum, focusing on the music rather than the new conditions in which it exists.
For those unaware, Twin Peaks released an album this year titled Down in Heaven. It’s their most ambitious, polished and, in my opinion, best LP to date. Lake didn’t necessarily rank this album the highest, but he said it will always hold a special place in their hearts.
For him and the other members of Twin Peaks, it marks the first time they were able to complete a project without the duress of being an unproven talent. Their previous projects and tours having solidified them as talented and commercial artists.
As a result there was no dealing with pay per hour studios and adjusting to other people’s equipment. Lake explained this lack of external stress allowed himself and the other members of the band to dig deeper internally.
He also has loved being able to tour off the album and is excited to bring it to Madison. Now a few months after the release, he said his favorite track that has emerged is “Wanted You.” Notable to Lake due to its slower tempo than the rest of the album, he reported when performed live it becomes “a banger.”
Adding to their excitement to performing in Madison, Twin Peaks are all also native midwesterners by way of Chicago. Lake is proud to have come up as an artist in a time where Chicago’s music scene is blooming and diverse. Being friends with genre-vague indie band Whitney, affiliated long-time with Chi-town’s Garage-Punk scene, and having known Chance the Rapper, Joey Purp and the rest of the Save Money collective “Forever,” has given Twin Peaks the opportunity to collaborate and play bills with artists ranging all over the spectrum in terms of genre and background.
Lake said this was only possible due to the unique nature of Chicago’s music scene. On Monday for example, he shared a bill with Chance in order to get the vote out.
It was at this point where it felt right to at least acknowledge the election. Lake said that while he will continue to write music without premeditation, politics or otherwise, himself and other artists will continue to use their voices to try and facilitate discourses surrounding politics and issues.
He said it’s simply who him and the members of Twin Peaks are, there’s no way around it.
In closing, Lake was most excited to come to Madison to get away from this “heavy shit” for a while. He’s most thrilled as an artist that he is able to help provide a space of healing and joy for the fans as well as themselves.
He urged people to come out to the show, pledging a good time and an escape for all.
