Start Listening To: Wings Of Desire
London based Wings Of Desire speak with us about their upcoming EP Amun-Ra, setting up a label and what got them into music.
For those unfamiliar with you, can you tell us a little bit about who you are, where you’re from, and what kind of music you make?
We are Chloe and James from the West Country via London. We make spiritual, industrial, sophisti-indie.
Tell us about what Wings of Desire have been up to through this weird and wonderful year.
We started releasing music mid pandemic which feels liberating in some ways. The focus is solely on the songs and how they make you feel. There have been no live shows or promotional tools to accompany these releases which means you have to focus on delivering songs that mean something.
How’s life working with WMD Recordings?
Setting up a label feels powerful. You can never control how art will be perceived, but being able to make the decisions on how and why we release things makes it feel like there is a purpose to it all. We also are looking forward to putting out records for other artists in the not too distant future.
We take it you’re excited to get Amun-Ra, your new EP out. Can you tell us about what went into this EP?
It felt like a progression from our previous EP ‘End of an Age’. The tracks from that body of work are more observational and hone in on the philosophy of life. Whereas ‘Amun-Ra’ is more introspective, questioning the inhabitant rather than the habitat.
‘Choose A Life’ is infectious and bodes just as well for the EP as ‘Better Late Than Never’. Can we expect more in the same vein of these tracks?
We like exploring the human psyche so that runs through the songs. The common thread that seems to keep it bound together though is that we try to question everything. We want it to create something unique that unearths feelings you didn’t know you had.
What is your typical songwriting process?
It often starts with some of James’ words or an interesting guitar loop. Sometimes a song is inspired by our mood boards we make, or an old interview by one of our favourite philosophers.
Who do you see as your main musical influences?
We are influenced by lots of things, musically we find cultural movements particularly interesting rather than one specific act from the period. Factory Records, Krautrock, even the early 2000s New York scene make us feel excited.
What do you love right now?
Long walks and new moons
What do you hate right now?
The division and lack of tolerance we seem to have for one another. As Noam Chomsky says, “If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.”
If you had the opportunity to collaborate with any three individuals on an album – whether singers or instrumentalists or producers – who would you choose?
James Murphy, Brian Eno, and Mick Jones
Where did the name “Wings of Desire” come from?
We are big cinephile’s so it’s taken from the Wim Wenders film.
What got you into music?
Navigating your way through adolescence is a feat, and for both of us music provided a sense of security when you don’t feel like you have anything else to rely on. We both grew up on a diet of MTV2 music videos and trips to town on Saturdays to buy albums. It seems that being an outsider and having an obsessed with music are intrinsically linked.
Are there still songs or albums or artists that you used to listen to as a child that you are still listening to? If so who, and what gives them that longevity?
Songs and artists are ‘classics’ for a reason. It’s a comforting thought that in 1000 years time civilisation will have moved on, but they could still be singing Here Comes The Sun or Perfect Day.
Before you go, do you have any final message you’d like to share with our readers?
Hare Krishna!
