Faze Wave is gearing up to bring their dynamic sound to Charleston with an upcoming show at The Royal American on Thursday, February 27th, sharing the stage with local rockers Daddy’s Beemer.
The band will showcase their latest singles, “Devils” and “Sender,” both of which reflect a fresh direction influenced by the vibrant music scenes of NYC and the UK. This show marks a pivotal moment for Faze Wave as they’ve just announced the release of their long-awaited EP, Act Your Age, dropping the very next day on February 28th.
With over a decade of evolution behind them, Faze Wave continues to push boundaries while staying true to their raw, DIY roots. Their journey from high school jam sessions to a more thought-out creative process is evident in their new music, which explores experiences far beyond their Jacksonville Beach origins.
As they prepare for a year full of releases, Faze Wave is ready to reconnect with fans and introduce a bold, guitar-driven sound that captures where they’re at today.
Read our full Q&A with the band below.
Q&A with Faze Wave: “Devils” and “Sender”
Extra Chill: Y’all have been a band for over a decade now, starting as high schoolers back in 2014 or so. How has your approach to making music changed over the years?
Faze Wave: Looking back, our initial approach was very direct. We basically sat together in a living room and played guitar until something sounded cool. We didn’t think too hard on arrangements or symbolism. Everything we made was so raw compared to our newer material. That’s not to say that we don’t have a raw/diy approach nowadays, but we take more time to think about each song and how it represents what we’re trying to achieve, compared to just completely winging it. I think there’s a balance to the two approaches though. We try to make our songs with deeper thought now, but we still strive for the raw and honest ideals we had when we started.
Do you still surf much? If so, how do you find that it inspires you, creatively?
FW: We don’t surf as much as we used to, but at least for myself, Matt the singer, and Everett our Bassist/guitarist, it’s still a big part of our lives. I think it used to define a large part of who I was because I spent so much time in the water, which influenced a lot of the music I was writing. These days it doesn’t play as big of a role in the creative process because we’re inspired by so many new things far from the ocean now. Just growing up and traveling has led us to a lot of new styles of music that we’ve been heavily influenced by, especially with the new music.
You’ve released a few singles recently, including “Devils” and “Sender”. What can you tell me about them?
FW: As far as the new singles “Devils” and “Sender,” these are a great example of two songs that came from influences outside of our older sound. Compared to the life we lived around Jacksonville Beach, these songs talk more about what we’ve seen and done after that stage in our life. We love so many bands that are coming out of NYC and the UK, that we focused a lot more on a stronger guitar presence. CQ Wrestling, Fontaines D.C., Been Stellar, etc. have led us to a new sound we’ve been loving. And amongst the group we definitely feel a significant shift in that direction moving forward to just write the music that feels good no matter what it sounds like.
It’s been a while since the last Faze Wave album (2018). Are these singles part of an upcoming album?
FW: It has been a very long time since we’ve released an album. These singles are apart of an EP that will coming out on 2/28/25 (surprise we’re announcing it tonight). We genuinely have so many songs in the works right now it’s hard to keep track. Safe to say that for the first time in a long time, this project will be followed by a lot of music that is already in the works. 2025 will be a year of releases for us.
On a scale of 1-10, how chill is Faze Wave?
FW: Verryyyy chill, unless we’re on stage. I’d say most days we’re an 8. When we’re on tour it feels like we are a 2 though. We always want to run around and do as much as we can while we’re on the road.
Anything else you want to mention?
FW: I just want to mention that we are very focused on our releases this year and really want to share where we’re at with everyone. Rather than sporadically releasing music, we want to share all the music we’ve been working on and are eager to tour and play for the lovely people that come see us live.