Words With... the Walkmen

The Walkmen have come to Britain to unleash their second album 'Bows + Arrows'. The follow up to 2002’s debut 'Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone'; it incorporates much of that album’s wandering excess yet is overall tighter and more pissed off than it's predecessor.

Gigwise took the opportunity to sit down and speak with vocalist Hamilton Leithauser and bassist Peter Bauer.

Gigwise: You’ve just released your second album, was it fun to record?

Peter: This one was much quicker that the first, that one took nearly two years to get through so by the end of it all, we were all just a little tired of it. This one only took us a few months to do so it's much fresher for us.

Gigwise: Your first single to be taken from 'Bows & Arrows' was 'The Rat', was that for its obvious Radio-friendly sound?

P: I suppose you could say that, it’s certainly the big song on the album. Even though once it’s played it sounds small, all of the instruments are going constantly. When we were recording it, we managed to **** it up that many times that we got sent to another producer (Dave Sardy) to record it. That’s why it’s got that more radio sound than the rest of the album.

Gigwise: Are there plans for a follow-up single?

P: We’d definitely like to release a few more tracks off of the album, I think the next one planned is the fourth track, 'Little House of Savages'

Gigwise: And what of touring?

P: We’re hoping to get on the UK festivals this summer, we’re not after any specific one we’ll play all three if they’ll let us to be honest. We’ve just done three shows in the UK and after tonight we’ll be doing another three, we’ve been getting good reception each night so that’s cool.

Gigwise: Why the renewed focus on the UK?

P: Well we’re already quite big in the US, not huge of course, but we’ve played there a lot and now have a fan base.

Gigwise: So you’re not coming here like some US bands to get bigger before going back to the US?

P: No, definitely not.

Gigwise: And what of the New York music scene, how has that worked for you?

P: Well we’re not originally from New York, we just happened to move there. The scene in New York isn’t how you’d imagine it.

Hamilton: (laughs) It’s not like we’re all really close friends or anything like that, it’s just like anywhere else I guess.

Either way, the Walkmen are quickly winning friends here in the UK, with heavy interest from the London music press and having earned themselves a major fan with the grand-overseer of British Alternative Music, Zane Lowe it could be those festival shows will elevated them to higher levels here soon.

Bows + Arrows was released on (Record Collection/Warner) on the 26th April.

Photo Courtesy of Warner Music / Big Hassle