This Wild Life Talk “Hello Rock Bottom,” Country Influences and Their First Full-Band Tour

Photo: Alex Bemis

This Wild Life are continuing to explore their country side with their new single “Hello Rock Bottom,” their second full-band country release. The song takes inspiration from classic country as well as newer artists bringing older sounds back into the spotlight. We spoke with the band about their influences, working with producer Eric Arjes, the meaning behind the lyrics and what fans can expect from their first full-band tour.

When asked what made them want to explore a more classic country sound, the band pointed to both older and newer artists. Keith Whitley, Midland and Braxton Keith all played a role in shaping the direction of the song.

“Mostly just our inspiration from older country artists and some contemporary acts doing the retro thing. Anth's favourite artist is Keith Whitley (who just HAPPENS to have a ton of pedal steel on his records haha) and more modern bands like Midland and Braxton Keith.”

They also explained that the song itself helped determine where they wanted to take it musically, rather than choosing a genre first. “There's a subgenre of Country that incorporates a lot of Latin percussion and nylon string acoustics that we love, and we felt like it would really gel with this particular song when we wrote the initial demo. Sometimes the song itself dictates what you do production-wise; it has a gravitational pull creatively. This song was exactly that. Had we tried to make it more rock-leaning, I think the song would've fallen flat.”

The track was produced and mixed by Eric Arjes, who has worked with artists including Jelly Roll and The Band Camino. For This Wild Life, working with someone who understood what they wanted was an important part of making the song.

“Eric has produced and mixed a huge variety of artists. Anything from Jelly Roll to The Band Camino. Having someone who understood the vision and could help us accomplish it was very important to us. Before we went in the studio, we had a Zoom meeting with him to describe the vibe we were looking for, and it was clear that he really wrapped his head around it. So much of the ear candy in this song was a collaboration with Eric and a guitarist named Jonny Fung that we brought in to play the classical guitar.”

This collaborative process was something the band wanted after self-producing their previous two records. “After self-producing our last two records, we really wanted a more collaborative approach on this new album, and we're really happy with the end result.”

The lyrics also deal with a difficult side of relationships, particularly the feeling of being left with nothing after things fall apart. When asked about a lyric that stood out to them, the band pointed to one that only appears once. “Funny enough, the last lyric of the Bridge is only said once in the song, but I think it's my favourite. "All pain, no gain" is about having a relationship with someone that crumbles and leaves you with nothing positive whatsoever.”

As This Wild Life continue moving into country music, one of the biggest things they've noticed is the level of musicianship within the genre. Coming from a punk background, they said working with country musicians has given them a different experience in the studio. “The biggest thing is how great the musicians are in this genre. Coming from the Punk world, there's a lot of great bands that aren't as technically talented on guitar. I think that's why so many young kids gravitate to bands like Blink-182 when they pick up the guitar.”

They also highlighted how easy it has been to communicate musical ideas with the players they've worked with. “The musicianship in Country is on such a high level, bringing in players to collaborate on the songs has been a treat. I can literally just sing a melody I want to hear on guitar, and they can intuitively play it on the first attempt.”

The next few months will also bring a new experience for This Wild Life, as they head out on their first full-band tour. After years of performing with smaller lineups, the band are excited to bring a five-piece setup to the stage.

“Really excited to get out and perform these new songs and reimagined classics with a full band. For years Anth would jump on the drums for a few songs, and our merch guy Jabroni would play bass or guitar, so the closest we've ever had to a full band is 3 people playing simultaneously.”

This time around, fans will get to see the band with a full lineup that includes pedal steel and fiddle.

“To have a full 5-piece band including Pedal Steel and Fiddle is going to be such a cool experience for not only us, but the fans.”

With “Hello Rock Bottom” continuing This Wild Life's move into country, the upcoming tour will give them a chance to bring this new direction to the stage and introduce fans to both their new songs and reimagined versions of their older material.

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