A passion project if there ever was one, duo Wesley Eisold and Amy Lee of Cold Cave let the music be their love story. The two are not just partners in the studio and on stage, but partners in life. They use their new album, Passion Depression, to remind themselves to hold onto the good in life even when the going gets tough. I spoke to the two about their journey thus far and what the music means to them.
Before delving into the guts of the album, tell me a little about the title. Can you elaborate a bit about what “the war within and without” means to you and how you drew Passion Depression out of it?
Amy: The very fabric of your heart and soul is on display when you make an album. So much for being ambiguous … I think Wes meant we spend so much time trying to navigate the world within the world outside ourselves. The range of emotions, the battle, it’s simply that.
Walk me through the making of this album; how does it work when you are writing, recording, producing, and releasing everything yourselves?
Wesley: This band has always been a learning process and transformative. This album is special to us because it’s the first time a single body of work has been truly collaborative in that Amy, and I made all music, lyrics, and vocals together. I’ve never done that before and have never had any input on vocals or lyrics in my past, albeit a few tracks off our last album Fate in Seven Lessons and some moments on songs before that.
The way it worked was I would create the backbone of the song musically. For some, hand over a short poem, others, just music, and she would shape it to the song by adding or taking parts away … whatever it needed in definition. Then we would finish the music as minimally as possible, once again by adding or taking parts away. It was really freeing for me and new. My lyrical content was always a defining characteristic of me as an artist but the beauty of allowing someone to participate in the poetry was a uniquely liberating feeling. Anything to evolve.
Beyond just the title, what were some of the lyrical and conceptual ideas encompassed throughout the LP?
Amy: The songs were created chronologically, one after another. We spent so much time evading the “album” with singles and eps over the last decade that we wanted to face this with the same intention as if each song stood alone and that we would know when they equaled a collection. Wes said to me, “What is there to even write songs about anymore anyway?” a very post-everything attitude, and I wanted to enliven his spirit with each track. “She Reigns Down” was a poem Wes shared with me, and it struck me immediately. It gives credence to women, a love song to Mother Earth. I was like, that’s what you write songs about!
“Siren Song” is exactly that. It was a test to write such a song since it has been attempted so many times before. The idea that a song can stand up if played different ways or stripped away is the ultimate challenge. “Octavia” has a fairytale aspect, a reminiscing quality, how you can lose yourself in your memories or in music even though beauty dies. There is an evolving love story with Cold Cave; this is just another chapter.
You formed Cold Cave 15 years ago, and soon after, synth-driven dark wave music had a big resurgence. I’m curious how the receptivity of the genre has been over the years, diminishing or gaining more momentum?
Wesley: There really wasn’t this genre that exists now. I think it has peaked creatively in a way. Some of the groups that sort of popularized it in more recent years did so by becoming some memed gimmick. People love to laugh at things until they become them. I can see why so many new groups arrive, on the surface, the music is pretty easy to imitate and comes with an instant air of nostalgia for a world no one will ever know again. It’s not too dissimilar from punk in that way.
I started down this path because it wasn’t trendy. I loved the music, and I could make it with one hand. We write actual songs, not just a vibe. I don’t know what drives anyone else. And I don’t care if it picks up in little waves here and there. Now it’s common for bands to not write their own music or even actually sing live. I have nothing in common with that.
How have you seen your personal growth as a musician evolving with each new Cold Cave album and what about that growth is reflected in Passion Depression?
Wesley: I don’t really think about growth as a musician, more as a human. Of course I want to be better, but the end goal has always been centered around wanting to make music that I’d want to listen to. And this record is that. Similar to when we wrote “Glory,” there are songs on this album like “Hourglass” and “Everlasting” that would have gotten me through some long nights. What I’m proudest about this time around is the ease in which I was able to co-write with Amy and how she’s so integrated and such a part of Cold Cave that the line blurs now on who wrote what. That’s really beautiful to me.
When this album is released, you will be at the tail end of a tour, so what can fans expect once it is out? Another tour possibly early next year, or some additional show dates soon after the release?
Amy: Can’t stop, won’t stop. We always tour or play one-offs, explore new territories, and return to our favorite spots. We rarely have time to make an album and never wanted to do the disappearing act and then come up for air. We squeezed this in and released each track as we made it. It was a new approach for us and didn’t really correlate to the shows we had booked. So, we will keep announcing shows and be unconventional in our approach to the cycle.
Is there anything else you want fans and/or readers to know about the inspiration or background of this album that is of special relevance to you?
Passion Depression is about the polarity of modern-dystopia. It’s the struggle for love in the land of strife! How do we stay humane and caring amongst the onslaught of injustice and threat? I think it’s a theme that’s here to stay. When I listened back to the album after finishing it, that’s exactly what it sounded like. The little cherubs in us want to be beautiful but the scenery of the garden is very hard to trust. And I don’t want to give in. Whether it be to laziness or sedation or crippling, exhaustive isolation. It’s always a love story with Cold Cave. This one is about holding on to it when the grip gets tough.
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