“I don't know what my life would be like if I didn't nervously pick up a microphone one day as a teenager and think 'fuck it, I can do this,'” explains Creative Adult vocalist, Scott Phillips, discussing what made him dedicate his life to writing music. “It has been my way of communicating with the world for over half my life now. At nearly 30, it's part of my DNA and I'll keep making music until I'm physically or mentally unable to.”

It is this drive that has led to the creation of the Californian post-punk bands sophomore full length, ‘Fear Of Life’. From the looming opener, ‘Connected’, of which Phillips states, “if another band wrote that song and I heard it for the first time I’d think ‘goddamn, well done,'” through to the hypnotic repetition of ‘Hand In Shove’, the nine-track opus is an utterly intoxicating album.

Conceived at the start of 2015, ‘Fear Of Life’ did not have an easy birth, and was largely pieced together in the studio. The music came first, with Phillips having to play catch up with the rest of the band afterwards. “It’s not an experience I’ll look back on fondly and (at the time) figured my time in the band was coming to a not-so-pleasant-end. Things change, obviously,” he says of the albums conception. “I personally found the experience of writing and recording (debut album) ‘Psychic Mess’ more enjoyable. I like when things are raw and loose. It’s totally subjective. Everyone has their own comfort zone and way of working. Being in a band is a choice and one that, in my cloudy mind, should bring joy to one’s life.”

Phillips tells us that there is no set concept or interwoven story to ‘Fear Of Life’, but the album ebbs and flows with a treacle-thick consistency. There are more melodic, uplifting passages through ‘Moving Window’ and ‘Charged’, which fit perfectly next to a lurching, bass-driven track like ‘Know Who’. “Each song is its own island,” he says, explaining how the mood of the music affects the lyrical end result. “There’s some crazy metaphysical stuff but also simple observations; general musings on life. I write like I think so it’s everywhere at once. I dip my finger into the cosmic honey-jar and let it flow.”

The most noticeable difference with ‘Fear Of Life’ when compared to the bands debut album is the growth in song writing, and sonic dexterity of the albums aura. “The records sound nothing alike, and it’s a good thing,” says Phillips, well aware of the band’s evolution. “We were a different band with a different vibe during the ‘Psychic Mess’ days. James, our drummer, wrote most of the music for that album. He wrote a lot of our early stuff and many of my favourite Creative Adult songs. Different writers produce different sounds. Crazy. My job remains the same, however, regardless of who writes the music; “try not to fuck up their songs!”

For ‘Fear Of Life’, the band joined up producer Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden Studios in San Francisco, who has put his touch to critically acclaimed albums from Deafheaven, Night School, and Joyce Manor, among others. Regardless of the stunning end result, Phillips admits that it wasn’t the best experience for him. “Jack is a good person but I felt out of sorts there,” he says of the recording. “ It was a bit sterile and serious for my way of doing things. I’m versatile for someone with no true-range but it’s unfair to expect me to knock everything out of the park first try. I’m not Elvis.”

“It turned into ‘I’m gonna do this elsewhere the way I want to. If you all think it’s shit and I’m not living up to your expectations, maybe it’s time for someone else to step in. I can walk away no regrets knowing I did the best I could with it.’ It would have been interesting to me to see how someone else would have handled these songs.”

Notwithstanding the challenges that were faced during the recording, the pressure clearly brought the best out of Creative Adult in the end. Now a six-piece, with the full-time addition of Ceremony guitarist, Anthony Anzaldo, they appear stable, and on top of their game. “We’ve had people come and go since we initially expanded from a four piece,” says Phillips, as he looks back on how the band has grown. “Everyone brings something unique to the feast – either stylistically or in their presence, philosophy on life and making art.”

Anzaldo is not the only member of Creative Adult who comes from a background in hardcore, and many of them come from the rich Californian hardcore scene. Phillips himself cut his teeth playing in the beloved Life Long Tragedy, from which the lessons he learnt impact on his approach to Creative Adult. “I started playing in punk bands and touring in high school,” he reflects. “I remember having my first legal beer in Canterbury (Kent, UK) after getting picked up from Heathrow at 18. I couldn’t believe anyone knew who we were and the shows went so well. It was fucking surreal and still is. Touring in a hardcore band shaped my worldview and it’s why I’m the way I am. I imagine my band mates share this sentiment.“

Upon listening to ‘Fear Of Life’, it has a distinctly British sound to it, with an array of reference points from The Smiths, Oasis, and The Stone Roses, to classic post-punk such as Siouxsie and The Banshees, Joy Division, and The Sound. Phillips explains some of the less obvious artists that Creative Adult draw from. “Of course all of that stuff is a part of our lexicon, but you’re forgetting The Fall,” he says, professing his adoration of the 70s punk icons. “Mark Smith is one of my favourites. I lifted a line from him on one of our early songs as a tribute. The Royal Family and the Poor was another great English band that is rarely discussed. Also shout out to Wire for still making good albums. I love English, Scottish and Irish bands, too many to list. Been stuck on the Clientele’s ‘Suburban Light’ of late. Talk Talk’s ‘Laughing Stock’ album also. Beautiful.”

While ‘Fear Of Life’ is a very forward-thinking album, it does pay homage to the past. Music is of course very cyclical, yet Creative Adult manages to take their sound to a different level rather than just repeating or rehashing what has come before them. “I suppose there’s a difference between taking something and making it your own and flat-out emulation,” says Phillips, as our conversation draws to a close. “I agree that everything lies along a giant rotating wheel. Everything comes back around. We’re certainly not doing anything that hasn’t already been done but we do it in our own way. We inject it with some California sunshine. Music is a form of time travel. One can bounce around and be a lot of things at the same time.”

‘Fear Of Life’ is available now via Run For Cover Records, and you the band will be in the UK later this year alongside Self Defense Family, which you can see the dates for below.

OCTOBER
13 BRIGHTON The Green Door Store
14 LONDON MOTH CLUB
15 CARDIFF Four Bars at Dempseys
16 GLASGOW Official 13th Note
17 MANCHESTER The Star and Garter
18 LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
19 NORWICH The Owl Sanctuary
20 NOTTINGHAM The Basement