Originally hailing from Cape Town, Africa, Civil Twilight is a power trio that draws parallels to Muse, Pilot Speed, and other like-minded bands with impassioned vocals and stirring, alt-rock songcraft. Brothers Andrew and Steven McKeller were raised in a musical household, having explored their father’s jazz collection at a young age while listening to their classically trained mother play piano. In November 1996, Andrew launched a teenaged band with help from his high school classmate, guitarist Richard Wouters. The two scheduled an initial rehearsal for the following month; in the meantime, Andrew discovered that his younger brother, Steven, could sing and write songs. The three musicians consequently banded together, with Steven agreeing to master the bass and Wouters giving up the guitar (which Andrew also played) to learn drums.
Civil Twilight spent several years practicing in local church halls and garages before graduating to the local club scene, where they steadily became a well-respected act. Having finished their education, the bandmates then moved to Los Angeles in August 2005; shortly thereafter, they signed with the indie label One October and co-produced their debut record, Human. The album arrived in 2007 and received an extra boost when several songs were featured in prime-time television shows, including One Tree Hill, House, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. For their sophomore album, the band relocated to Nashville.
The writing process shifted for their latest album, Holy Weather, which is available on March 27th . Civil Twilight spent the better part of the last year on tour playing the likes of Bonnaroo and Voodoo Fest, opening for acts like Smashing Pumpkins and Florence & The Machine, and headlining their own shows across the country. When Steven started writing songs for their follow-up album, he used the most powerful tool at his disposal: nostalgia. When you’re constantly in motion, you can’t sit down and spend hours looking at something; you don’t have time to really absorb what you’re going through so you absorb subconsciously and write about it later as you reflect on it. There’s a difference between actually being in the moment, writing about it as it affects you, than when it’s flashing through your memory later on. This new approach to songwriting proved more challenging. However, all three members agreed that they wanted to craft an album that was a real test to play, not in terms of technique but in terms of exploring a longing that they hadn’t been able to discover on the previous record.
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