Wondrous challenge
Wonder Years take different approach in creating ‘Sister Cities’
Dan Campbell surely has places in the country that are held closer than others.
Albuquerque is one of them. “I was looking at our first tour and Albuquerque was on our first tour,” he says during a recent phone interview. “You all were there right at the beginning. Now it’s been years since we started and Albuquerque is still showing us the love.”
In fact, Campbell’s first show in town was in October 2007.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” he says.
Campbell is the lead vocalist for the pop rock band The Wonder Years.
Matt Brasch, Casey Cavaliere, Mike Kennedy, Josh Martin and Nick Steinborn join Campbell in the band.
The Wonder Years has released six studio albums; the latest, “Sister Cities,” came out on April 6.
It took the band more than two years to complete.
“The biggest thing is that we kept challenging ourselves,” he says. “We don’t want to make a clone of the last record. This time, we really wanted to challenge people along the way. For me, as the lyric writer, I tried to explore something different melodically.”
The other challenge was ensuring “Sister Cities” sounded different from the rest of the catalog.
“We’ve recorded more than 100 songs and that’s huge,” he says. “The album needed to stand on its own. It becomes more difficult with the more records you write. Every time you release something new, you have to deal with the weight of expectations from others.”
With that said, the album came easier to Campbell.
“‘No Closer to Heaven’ was written to break writer’s block,” he says with a laugh. “We’d write for hours. I’d also sit by myself and work solo.”
On tour, The Wonder Years has played the entire album live, with the exception of two tracks.
Campbell also has some added pressure on the personal side of his life for this tour.
“My wife is pregnant and it feels like I’m cutting my brain in half,” he says. “I’m focusing on work and tour; meanwhile, I’m trying to be ready and attentive to what she needs help with. It’s all been a balancing act. Though I’m stressed out of my brain, and it will work out.”