Photo Credit: Jason Lee Denton

The Wans have not been on a hiatus or the subject of a Missing Person poster. They’ve simply been living like the common bear during the winter in hibernation, but that period is over and done as they’re ready to take on the world again with their 2023 release, ‘Magical Touch,’ out everywhere on July 26th. We talked about where they’ve been, where they plan to go, and of course, the music that’s coming your way in this back-and-forth exchange. 

Kendra: Alright Simon, you noted that The Wans weren’t MIA, y’all were simply in “hibernation.” Did everything musical come to a halt during this hibernation period for you? 

The Wans: We had started writing a little bit before the pandemic then it came to a grinding halt. The songs started coming back to me around the middle of 2020 and by the time we were back together in a room in 2021, we had this batch of songs to choose from. These are definitely some of the strongest songs I’ve been a part of.

Kendra: Was there a specific moment you can pinpoint when you officially knew it was time to write and record a new record?

The Wans: After my solo record ‘Doldrums’ in 2018 I took a bit of a breather from music then I realized how much I needed music in my life to stay sane. That was around 2019. There was talk of releasing some singles or an EP, but I was dead set on releasing a full LP. I think this LP was worth the wait as I feel the excitement of our first record on this. The recording process happened so quickly (seven days), but it was a few years of building up to the recording process. There were a lot of songs that didn’t make it on the record that may see the light of day at some point. I’m surprised I stayed as patient as I did.

Kendra: Which, the new record, ‘Magical Touch,’ drops on the 11th anniversary of your debut self-titled EP. Now the gift for 11 years is steel. Would you say that’s the perfect thing to represent 11 years since ‘The Wans’, or would you go with another element? 

The Wans: Well, 11 happens to be my lucky number. I tend to see it everywhere and it just so happened that it was the 11-year anniversary of the first EP. 

The reason I love that it correlates with the first EP is that there was so much excitement with the first record and I felt that same excitement with this one. They say you have your whole life to write your first record and a year to record your second record. With this LP we had enough time to pick apart the songs and make sure they were right for this “comeback” record.

Kendra: The album features 11 new songs, including “Otherside,” a great song centering around love. For you though, what are the first sort of signs that someone special has made you see the other side clearly?

The Wans: I think finding someone who calls you out for your “bullshit” and someone that you’re in awe of is definitely a sign. Also, someone who makes you want to grow up. 

Kendra: So I am reading an interesting book right now that breaks down the ‘90s and just got to the part about Nirvana and the state of rock music at that time. It’s obviously been a long time since then, and we’ve had everything from nu-metal to emo rise and fall since then. All of that said, what do you think of the current state of rock music? 

The Wans: There are some amazing rock bands out there, but they’re just not getting the airplay that they used to. I mean, there’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Idles, QOSTA, Fontaines D.C. I could go on and on. The music scene moves in cycles. It’ll come back. It always does.

Kendra: Time for a side note – this month we’re asking everyone to pick a song for our ‘ZO Summer 2023’ playlist. So what summer anthem would you add, and why? 

The Wans: Oh man. That’s a tough question. I’d say for a summer anthem I’d choose King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s song, “Kempler-22b.” I have no idea what the song is about, but it makes me feel good. The production is fantastic! 

Also, Blur just released a new song called “The Narcissist” that I LOVE. It’s not necessarily a summer anthem, but it makes me feel nostalgic as they were one of my favorite bands as a kid. I love that they’re still pushing the envelope. Hopefully, we’ll see an Oasis reunion soon too with Blur reforming and all.

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Magical Touch’ out on July 26th, what else is on the horizon for you at the moment? 

The Wans: We’ve got the release show on the horizon at the Basement East on July 30th here in Nashville that I’m really excited for. We’re also working on getting some tours together. I’ve been going with the flow recently (similar to the Dude from ‘Big Lebowski’) and just seeing what happens. The hard work of writing/recording is complete in my eyes. We’ll see what happens.