How Do Wild Beasts, A Great Rock Band, Overcome the ‘Tyranny of the New’?

“What do you hope for in a skydive?” Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe asks. “You’re hoping to feel fucking good for a minute—what other point is there to jumping out of a plane?”

We’re not talking about skydiving, really. We’re talking about an artist’s drive to create no matter the circumstances or “buzz” around a specific project. We’re talking about the British quartet’s insatiable desire to reinvent after spending a decade releasing dizzyingly ornate indie rock and slowly scooping up fans, some in the United States and most across the pond. Why do they keep going? Because they need to feel alive.

“What other point is there to make an album,” Thorpe continues, “to expose yourself to everyone to put yourself out there, other than to satiate that craving within yourself?”