The Wldlfe, a new band featuring AU students Jansen Hogan, Jason Boucouras and Geoffrey Jones, has announced that their first EP, New, is set for release on March 3, 2016. Their release show has been planned for that night and will also feature the electro-pop duo Dream Chief.
For those familiar with Jansen Hogan’s solo music, The Wldlfe will be a taste of something rather different. “Compared to what I did before, this is much more of a risk,” Hogan said, “It’s less safe, more fun, in my opinion.”
Jones, the group’s drummer, added, “It’s more energetic.”
Work on the EP began in August when the three musicians spontaneously decided to collaborate on something more ambitious than the occasional shows they had been playing together as a part of Jansen Hogan’s solo work.
“We played for his solo stuff last spring, and that was a lot of fun,” Boucouras, the guitarist, said. “I don’t think it was really planned out,” he continued, “Jansen just kind of asked, ‘Do you guys really want to commit to this thing, or just keep playing some shows with me?’ We said, ‘Yeah let’s do it!’”
“I met Jansen this summer at Orangehaus Business Camp,” Jones said. “We ran into each other when he arrived at AU, and he asked me to drum. After seeing his drive, I thought this was something I need to stay part of.”
Elaborating on his motivation for The Wldlfe, Jones said, “The reason I’m part of this is that it’s music I love. If you want to do something in life, it should mean something to you. It should be personal and affect your own life.”
“In music, there are so many people who just expect things to go somewhere, but never really go for it,” Boucouras said. “We were just like ‘Let’s go for it!’”
Hogan chimed in, “I ain’t good at anything else! But yeah, it was very much an organic thing. Something like, ‘Are we a band?’ ‘Yeah!’”
All three had something to say about the group’s inspiration for New. “The whole concept is kind of a starting over feeling—recognizing the downside of things and letting yourself be upset,” Hogan said.
“If you’re a human being, you will encounter some of this stuff at one point in life,” Boucouras said.
Jones added, “There’s always something in Jansen’s writing that you can relate to your own life—not just love or heartbreak, but how you might feel any day of your life as a part of the greater story.”
“You can tell in the song what it might be written about, but I don’t think the meaning is limited to that,” Hogan explained.
Elaborating on the meaning behind the group’s name, Hogan said, “Life isn’t black and white. It’s not clear-cut, so we don’t want our music to be. What The Wldlfe means to one person might be totally different to another person. Why does it have to mean anything? The point is: There is no point.”
Regardless of what it means, The Wldlfe’s creativity and drive give New an exceptional sound that anyone can appreciate. Dancy drum beats, catchy vocals and pop-synth mix to create a unique sound, and Jonathan Class, owner of Varsity Recording Co., contributed immensely in producing the EP.
“I think at one point we were just sitting in Varsity Recording while Jon just constructed new beats for several hours,” Boucouras joked.
The members of The Wldlfe are definitely having fun, but they are not naïve. All three are aware of their potential, and they want to make real progress playing music they truly enjoy.
“We’re ready to take this seriously and try to legitimately make this a thing we could do for our lives,” Hogan said. “We want our music to be our own favorite music. We want it to be something that we love and that we’ll listen to, and this EP is something we’re really proud of.”