Introducing the psychedelic West Coast grooves of Inner Wave
The five-piece Los Angeles based group who met in high school have been creating major ripples with their refreshingly unique brand of easy-going indie-pop jams. Despite their young appearances, the band's first album III was released in 2013 making it nearly a decade of releases.
Most recently they performed at Coachella 2022, signifying the success and dedication to the craft that the group have nurtured. Their most recent album Apoptosis (2021) is a reflection on the synergy between life and death.
Read on below for our new interview with Inner Wave...
Tell us about yourself and how the band met? Where did the name Inner Wave come from?
We met at Peary Middle School in Gardena, CA a long long time ago. The name came from an interview with Nirvana where they mentioned playing shows is like bouncing waves with the audience. Like a beach ball.
Has your environment sculpted your sound in any way?
Definitely. We grew up in South LA where we were exposed to a lot of hip hop growing up and those rhythms and synth influences can be heard in our music.
If possible how would you describe some of the essential themes behind Inner Wave? Are there any particular ideas that re-occur?
There are many themes that reoccur like love, loss and isolation but they keep evolving as we grow and mature. Also, our love for science fiction seems to show up a lot throughout our work.
Where do you find that your inspiration stems from the most?
I would say it comes from films. There are always two movies or so that inspire each album. Sometimes more.
Do you have any personal views on spirituality/psychedelia and how it interacts with the artistic process?
Our practice of spirituality and experimentation with psychedelics has an indirect influence on our artistic process. We don’t use it as fuel for our creative approach. But anything you intake does have an influence on how you think and feel, and it’s bound to play a role in your creativity and output.
Could you tell us about the ideas behind your recent album Apoptosis?
With Apoptosis we explored the concept of rebirth through shedding parts of our old selves so we could grow. The term Apoptosis also reflects that very directly since it’s the process of eliminating unwanted cells.
Who does your artwork? you've had some classics over the past few years.
A lot of our artwork in the past was done by our old keyboardist Chris Runners but now MacAndrew and Colin Fletcher handle a lot of the art direction. It’s been a blast working with them on the past few projects.
Follow Inner Wave on the following platforms:
- Spotify
- Bandcamp
- Youtube
- PSYCHIC GARDEN