Q&A: Culture Wars Release Synth Rock Anthem "Miley" Ahead of Debut Album
CULTURE WARS’ MUSIC SPEAKS TO A GENERATION STARVED FOR AUTHENTICITY — The Austin-based alt-rock band are building a wave of momentum with their new single “Miley,” a synth rock anthem off their highly anticipated debut album. Pulsing with a relentless rhythm that only halts for a brief, shimmering bridge, the track crashes back into a groove that lingers long after the final note. “Miley” is a song crafted for the dance floor but with enough depth to resonate beyond it, standing out as an electric preview of what’s to come from this rising group.
In "Miley," Culture Wars channels the naiveté and vulnerability of a young woman newly arrived in Los Angeles. Lead singer Alex Dugan explains, “It’s about the naivete of a young woman new to LA and navigating the womanizing men in her new town. Feeling lonely and falling for one-liners that lead to nothing but one-night stands despite knowing better.” Dugan’s lyrical narrative draws listeners into a world that’s both painfully real and intensely cinematic, capturing the complex emotional landscapes of youth and city life.
The single’s fusion of synth-pop and rock elements reflects the band's signature style – bold, rhythmic and unafraid to experiment. Culture Wars have consistently defied expectations with their genre-blending approach. Their forthcoming debut album, recorded at the Sonic Ranch Recording Studio, is set to offer a fresh, provocative voice in today’s rock scene.
Made up of Alex Dugan, Caleb Contreras, Dillon Randolph, David Grayson and Josh Stirm, Culture Wars’ new hits “Heaven” and “Wasting My Time” have catapulted them into a thrilling new chapter bursting with raw and vibrant spirit.
As their name suggests, Culture Wars thrive on tension and contrast – juxtaposing moments of introspection with bursts of raw energy, all while navigating the conflicts and harmonies inherent in modern life. This dynamic approach sets the young band apart, positioning them as artists unafraid to engage with the world around them.
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
ALEX: I think for us, we just look to make music that excites us. First and foremost, we're a band and we're doing everything organically and we're playing all our own instruments. We just try to communicate the good time that we're already having as a collective and translate that to everybody else.
LUNA: If someone were to have just found Culture Wars and they wanted to listen to one song that encapsulates your voice and vision, what song would it be?
ALEX: I think the beauty of the band, everybody would have a different opinion of that. I still think that “Heaven,” the first single, the current radio single, is still the best entry point to the rest of the project.
LUNA: Are there particular moods or themes you find yourself gravitating towards when writing and performing? How do you channel these into your music?
ALEX: In some cases it's biographical, but in a lot of cases, it's just what comes out of me, especially when Caleb and I are working together, we try not to put new rules, any preconceived notion or repetitive theme. A lot of it, unintentionally, centers around my experience living in Australia, dating my now wife, and how that all came together.
LUNA: You just released your latest single “Miley” which is a sneak peek into your upcoming debut record. Can you walk us through the inspiration and the creative process behind bringing the single to life?
ALEX: That is the funny one. Musically, it's probably the furthest left field to the rest of the album. When we did it, we were shacking up in an Airbnb in Beverly Hills, and this was during the second month of lockdown in the pandemic. Very early in summer 2020, we decided we were going to make a little summer camp and all hang out in the same house and write and spend a bunch of time together. This came from that session being in Beverly Hills in this random Airbnb. Dave had come up with this electronic drum beat that was very 80s sounding, and it wasn’t really the intention, it was just what happened. Then from there, they built it with synth and experimental elements. It is pretty simple. It's a song that stands alone on its own and even though it's very far from the rest of the album, we just felt that it was so good that we couldn't not include it.
LUNA: “Miley” is also accompanied by a music video. What is the inspiration behind the video and how was your experience filming it?
ALEX: We've literally just done that too. I always had this idea of doing this thing in Chinatown, and it just never panned out. Our editor Jen Kennedy is married to Tim Mattia, who was doing coloring for our other videos at the time. Jen was like, you know, my husband actually directs videos too. I reached out to him to see if he could come to New York for two days to help us finish the video. We squeezed it in between tour dates, and it was all his idea. I think he just took a big swing and it's a great swing. We're super happy. Considering I'm like a film school kid and I always had to co-direct our videos a lot of time, and so to be completely hands off and have it work the way that it worked out is a blessing, but the better word would be a privilege. To be able to have something that great without having to do anything, because I'm usually the one having to do it. It was very nice.
LUNA: You are preparing to release your debut record which is your first big project since your teche EP in 2021. Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with your newest releases since then?
ALEX: I wouldn’t call it a big risk. I think it was time to grow up. It was very much that we looked at it in the three years that we developed this, and our producer, co-writer and guitar player, Caleb. Him and I wanted to approach this project differently compared to teche. He really wanted to focus on getting the best possible songs. I was like, let’s do a vocal and a guitar or a vocal and a piano, and that’s it. If the song isn't good that way, then we don't move forward and just build a bunch of tracks, because that's what we've done in the past. We’re very intentional and just brought it back down to the basics and decided if it's not good this way, we're not moving forward. We just dug our heels in for a while. We learned a lot, and we got a lot better. Caleb got a lot better. He worked with some big names and has a good songwriting kick for his career with other people as well. I think it was all good timing and it just worked out. We stayed true to that vision pretty much. I think “Miley's” the only exception, because the track record goes first, but the only reason it saw the light of day was because what we came up with to complete the song was provocative. That one's more of an accident, whereas everything else is more intentional.
LUNA: What are you most excited for your listeners to take away or experience from the record?
ALEX: I just hope that they say, ‘man, that was really good.’ I'm going to go get a ticket and go see him live. It's just for us. We want to get out there and meet new people and make new fans or friends, or whatever you want to call it. I think now that we're touring as much as we are, it's just a great time to try and get out there as much as we possibly can. We just hope that people listen to it and are like, ‘man, I'm going to start listening to more music like this and get off TikTok and quit frying my brain.’
LUNA: You are currently on tour supporting The Cult and will be supporting Amy Shark and LANY next month. What has the touring experience been like and what have been some of your favorite memories from the run so far?
ALEX: So far, everyone's been really nice, which I know that sounds like everybody's nice, but we've been on tours with people who were not nice. So far, everyone's been really nice. You never know what you're getting into with people. But it's always nice to work with people that are genuinely nice people. It makes your life a lot easier, and that's more of just a personal thing. They've just all been really great people. But of course, touring. We've been in Canada, we've been all over the U.S. We're about to go to Asia and Australia, all these new places. I think it's a really important moment for us to step up and do the best we possibly can and put ourselves out there for the real thing here.
LUNA: Do you have any pre-show or post-show rituals to help ensure you play your best set?
ALEX: I can speak for myself. I have my vocal training stuff, which is the boring stuff, and I've got my vocal humidifier, which is always fun, and then a couple shots of Tequila, and off we go.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
ALEX: We're touring the world, going from being a local Austin band to playing the Philippine arena for 40,000 people, certainly a jump. I think we're excited for the opportunity, and we're excited to step up for the people who have been stepping up for us to get these opportunities. We're just really grateful and hopeful that the ball will continue to roll, so to speak, and that we can keep stepping up and trying our best. This is what we've always wanted since we were kids, so here we are. Stay tuned for “Miley” and we're putting out a single pretty much every month, so stay tuned and follow us so you don't miss the next one.
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