Ten years into their career, Culture Wars are hitting their stride with their debut album, ‘Don’t Speak’. Countless tours steadily increased their profile, notably bills with higher profile artists ranging from Maroon 5, ZZ Top and others, while also inspiring them to hone in a sound both suited to their style and built for the big rooms they were playing.
“For ‘Don’t Speak,’ we really aimed to strip everything back and let the raw emotion guide the narrative, creating something truly intimate and honest that resonates on a deeper level.”
Austin-based band Culture Wars released their debut album, ‘Don’t Speak’ this past April to much anticipation. The album is a culmination of ten years together and finding their sound while on the road, while growing together over the years. With lyrics of introspective exploration of identity and personal evolution, frontman Alex Dugan delves into the friction between past and future selves, using tracks like “Typical Ways” to confront former versions of himself with accountability. From the emotional rebuilding found in “Lies” to the sobering adult realizations in “Bittersweet,” the record navigates heartbreak and the eventual clarity that follows. Dugan’s songwriting captures the “haze of loneliness” while ultimately finding peace within life’s uncertainties. Finding the core sound of it all took time, but Dugan and the band found it once they started working on “Heaven”- “All that was figuring it out. And then once ‘Heaven’ came out, that was the ‘we know what we’re doing now.’ Let’s start launching this thing the long way,” Dugan shared.
To support the release, Culture Wars have been on headline tour since the spring and are currently on the UK and European leg.
Alex Dugan of Culture Wars speaks with B-Sides host Pete Mar about the band’s journey over the past ten years and how recording “Heaven” helped them find their sound. He talks about how that confidence and feedback from arena tours with Maroon 5, ZZ Top and others furthered their sound and finally release their debut LP, ‘Don’t Speak’. Dugan talks about juggling tour life as a new father and more.
