Image provided by Walden

“And ultimately, the album and that song is just about the restart of a new season, and also understanding that not all seasons last forever,”

Richard of the indie band Walden elaborates about the season that their debut album, Funeral for a Band, is in. What happens when a debut album is a funeral about themselves? Walden had the very real realization that their band might not make it into fruition after thirteen grueling years of back and forths. This upcoming record, however, proves their hardheadedness and determination to continue on. death of a rabbit had the pleasure of interviewing the band on their potential death and resurrection called Funeral for a Band.

---

DEATH OF A RABBIT: The story behind Funeral for a Band, where did the idea first come from?

ERIC HANGARTNER: The idea came from the very real experience that we’re going through as a band right now, which is wrestling with what could be the end of our band. That kicked off this entire journey, and all the songs on the album flowed out of that experience.

RICHARD BECKER: We moved to Denver in 2022 from Nashville, and it was a very pivotal move for our band. We felt like it was going to make or break out band and within the first year, we fely like our lives were going in different directions and felt uninspired in the music we were creating. So we had a tough conversation about where this was heading and if we were going to go our separate ways. And we didn’t want this band to end. We understood where all our lives were, coming up to thirty years old and feeling life’s pressures. And we ultimately decided before if this band is coming to an end, what do we want to do? And we wanted to make our debut album and asked ourselves: what did we want to write about? We wanted to write it exactly what we were going through in that moment, unpacking it, and reflecting on the journey.

DOAR: And you have the song, “The End,” at the beginning of the album. Does irony play a role within the lyricism or thematic of Funeral for a Band?

ERIC: Definitely. There’s a lot of irony in what we’re doing, and we knew that going into it. And honestly, we’re having a lot of fun with that irony. I think that what we’re going through is very real and isn’t just a stunt. Like even in this interview, it’s something we’re still wrestling with, but something we set out for as we decided we were going to make this thing that we really wanted to lean into.

RICHARD: The whole album is a season of life, and I think it is reflective about many types of seasons of life, whether that’s a relationship or physical life and death or at the end of a job, the song is about the ending of a previous chapter into a new chapter. It’s a little up for interpretation whether the new chapter is what’s to come or for us, it was mustering up the energy to go make this album. Like that, in itself, is a whole new cycle of excitement and energy within our band. But there’s so many mini cycles of life coming into play here. And ultimately, the album and that song is just about the restart of a new season, and also understanding that not all seasons last forever.

DOAR: And in terms of seasons, what would you describe this season for this album?

ERIC: I would say the season we’re in right now! Sort of spring into summer–I guess we’re really in the thick of summer now and that makes sense because we’re finally releasing this thing. There’s a lot of excitement around sharing it with the world, and hopefully people will connect with it. Around the corner are the leaves falling and the cold winter so there’s a lot of unknowns and question marks about what happens when we release this. What will the reception be like? What if it’s not good? What are we going to do then?

DOAR: How did y’all finalize this record after thirteen years? Because I’m sure so many ideas have come around and the highs and lows to reach this point.

ANDREW MENDEL: This album is really special and unique in a cool way because the way that we wrote these songs were very intentional. It was very intentionally all four of us all together in the same room, for basically as much of it as possible. So in the past, songs had been written in multiple ways. Eric or Richard may have brought an idea, and then we kind of made it into a Walden idea. Then sometimes there were moments where we all made something together, but this album was all of us in the same room, all together, being very intentional about what we were trying to say, what these songs meant to us first and foremost, and then how they could connect with people. That was our guiding light for how we approached this album and how we ultimately got to the final set of songs that tell the story from beginning to end.

In terms of each song itself, each song was really unique in its own way in terms of getting it to the finish line. We really tried to keep reminding ourselves what we are trying to say, what this song means to us, and make sure we were staying on that path. Eventually, it got to a point where we could say that we were fully saying what we wanted to say. And then the recording aspects and making sure it sounds exactly right, but in terms of the meaning, that’s how we got to the finish line there.

RICHARD: Another unique thing that we did during this process that we’ve never done before is we banned referencing other artists in the writing room. We decided we weren’t doing that because it instantly changes people’s creative inspiration. We wanted it to all just come as uniquely individual as possible. It was less referential and more just direction, let each band member take that direction and put their own spin on it. I think that significantly altered the songwriting process and allowed us to find our sound a little bit, our sound that we’ve been looking for a long time.

ERIC: In terms of how we decided when the songs were actually finished, that was a really hard process for us because in a way, finishing this record was kind of like letting go of our band. Once we’re done with this, we don’t really have anything planned. Now, thankfully, we have shows and we’re touring, and finishing the record hasn’t turned out to be the end of our band. 

But there were definitely some implications of it feeling that way. It was really hard to let go of these songs, especially because they mean more to us than probably any other songs we’ve written. I think we’re already kind of a notoriously picky band to work with just because we care so much. Our producer, Danny Reich, who’s a true professional in every sense of the word, was able to put up with us, even being at times quite neurotic about the record. It was all coming from a place of wanting it to reflect how important this band is to us, how important the message is. He did a great job of reeling us in, but also hearing us out and really trying to make sure that the record was doing it justice.

DOAR: One of my favorites off the album was, “I Think I Killed the Band.” It was a nice break within the album and I think I just gravitated towards the title itself.’

ERIC: Thank you! I think we all do feel in our ways responsible for the end of the band. For a very long time, I was controlling about how our band would be, how we should sound, how we should dress. It took me many years to realize that the more controlling I tried to be over our band, the less that it was really our band. A band is about embracing the uniqueness of the people who are coming together to form the band. 

I remember very distinctly I was walking up to my apartment and was in the stairwell. There’s good acoustics in the stairwell, and I just started singing that line, trying to find a melody around it. “I think I killed the band” just popped into my head, and I was like, “There’s something here.” I remember us being in a writing session together a day or two later and I was very nervous to play it for the guys because it felt very tacky. But they all kind of perked up a little bit and they were like, “Wait a second, you might be onto something here.” ANd we turned it into a full song that immediately felt special. I think we’d all agree as a band that song maybe in a way is what we reallied around as being sort of a centerpiece for this record.

DOAR: death of a rabbit likes to focus on lyricism and poetry — I was wondering, what’s a lyric that you’ve listened to lately that you really enjoyed, or what’s a lyric that you wish you’d written?

ERIC: “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd

RICHARD: 

Oh, and the feelin’ of being alive

For the first time in a long time

Noah Kahan, “End of August”

ANDREW:

You realize that life goes fast

It’s hard to make the good things last

You realize the sun doesn’t go down

It’s just an illusion caused by the world spinning ’round

The Flaming Lips, “Do You Realize??”

JAMIE DE LANGE: 

Curl like smoke and breath again

Down your throat, inside your ribs

Through your spine, in every nerve

Where I watch and I wait

And yield to the hurt

Audioslave, “Last Remaining Light”

---

Listen to Walden’s latest single off their debut album, Funeral for a Band, below!