Cold War Kids have been in the alternative rock scene since 2004 and have topped alternative charts with their 2006 hit single “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “Love Is Mystical” from their latest album, “L.A. Divine.” The Daily Reveille sat down with lead singer Nathan Willett and bassist Matt Maust before their Voodoo Music + Arts Experience performance at the Altar Stage to discuss the band’s evolution and upcoming set.
The Daily Reveille: What are you most excited about for today’s set?
Cold War Kids: Playing some rock music for some rad people. We’ve had a couple…10 days off? Two weeks off? I don’t know. We’ve been doing a lot of touring so when we have a little time off it’s like, “Ooh, this is fun.”
TDR: How do you feel about coming down to New Orleans for Voodoo?
CWK: I feel great about it. I love the city. I know it’s not like European but it’s kind of like a mini trip with European vibes. I love all the architecture so much here. It’s so cool.
TDR: What type of energy are you trying to convey for your set today?
CWK: Hm, what kind of energy do we got? I think we got high energy. I think we got fun energy. Mostly upbeat songs, I don’t think we have any slow jams today.
TDR: How does performing at a large festival compare to performing at smaller venues?
CWK: So different. I think we keep it, again, pretty high energy the whole time, not the brooding slow jams. Yeah, you know, you’re emoting to a larger group so it’s very different. It’s a lot less pressure. I used to not like it years ago; now I kind of flipped to where I prefer it almost all the time, playing festival-type things. You get new fans that way, too. People are like, “I’m going to check that band out for like seven songs, you know?” Yeah, it’s great.
TDR: How does your latest album, “L.A. Divine,” compare to your others?
CWK: I think our newest record is really the kind of album that has the ingredients of all the other five [albums]. We did everything we did on those five records on one record.
TDR: How do you think the band has evolved since it started in 2004?
CWK: The band had evolved in a lot of ways. I think we feel like we’re lucky to have a sound that we love, and that is true for us from the first record. So, in some ways, we’ve been circling and, in some ways, making our way back to that and trying to write the best song that we can within that sound.
TDR: Favorite song to perform currently?
CWK: Mine is “Lost That Easy.”
