Chicago’s Spun Out Dream in Full Color
Built on Mikey Wells's hook-laden songwriting and propelled by dual synthesizers, Spun Out's 'Dream Noise' pushes past the boundaries of conventional indie rock through a mix of punk attitude and electronic ambition.
Indie rockers Spun Out are one of those bands with an immediately distinctive sound—something the Chicago-based combo has honed and nearly perfected on their second album, Dream Noise. Drawing upon the hook-laden songwriting of Michael "Mikey" Wells, Spun Out's imaginative music colors way outside the lines of the usual indie rock fare. Standout tracks "Paranoia," "Lilacs," and "High Life" have plenty of visceral energy bolstered by Spun Out's live gigs in recent years. Meanwhile, the group's keyboard-synth duo of James Weir and Sean Page embellish songs like "Fishing" and "Pale Green Sky" with electronic textures drawn from alternative dance and ambient music.
Spun Out's history began with a previous band, NE-HI, which included Michael Wells on guitar and vocals and James Weir on keyboards. NE-HI's self-titled debut album in 2014 and its 2017 follow-up, Offers, had a sound reminiscent of 1960s psychedelia—the Beau Brummels meet the Shadows of Knight—with a dash of post-punk attitude. Aspects of that sound carried over to Spun Out as Sean Page, bassist Chris Sutter, and drummer Joshua Wells joined the new band. However, Spun Out's 2020 debut album, Touch the Sound, was more modern in conception and production. Joshua Wells, who oversees the group's recording process in their private studio and rehearsal space, reinforced the tougher grooves of songs like "Off the Vine" and "Don't Act Down." The Flaming Lips and Wilco are among the influences Sean Page cites and have left a mark on Spun Out, as have classic artists such as Echo & the Bunnymen, Roxy Music, Stereolab, and Talk Talk.
Dream Noise, released in October on Shuga Records, brings all the above elements into tighter focus. The Tonearm spoke with three of Spun Out's members—Mikey Wells, Joshua Wells, and Sean Page—asking them to dig into the creative and recording process behind the new album.
Peter Thomas Webb: Congratulations on the new Spun Out album, Dream Noise. How do you feel this album develops the Spun Out sound and musical approach over your 2020 debut album, Touch the Sound?
Mikey Wells: Our first album was interesting to make in that we were trying different processes of writing our songs. It didn't matter who played what or how it came together as long as we thought it was a good song. The band was more of a recording experiment at the time. We were influenced by dance music during that period. On the new record, we had an intention of feeling more natural—probably less dancey and more influenced by funk, soul, and R&B. I also think some of our punk influences started to creep in.
Peter: Did the live shows you performed after the debut album have much influence on Dream Noise?
Mikey: We had been playing shows with this lineup for a while, and the live element became essential to how we made the new record. The first was a studio record, and the live band came after. I think this new album feels exciting because there's more natural energy.
Peter: On Dream Noise, I notice an abundance of killer pop hooks in songs like "Paranoia," "Lilacs," and "High Life." Were these intentionally part of the songwriting and recording process, or did they arrive more by happenstance?
Mikey: I always love big hooks, and I think we have gotten better at our craft. There was an intention to make things highly memorable for the listener. We often try to make pop songs with weirdness thrown in, plus bits and pieces that come out of left field.
Peter: Something apparent in Dream Noise is the quality of the production—how it maintains punch and clarity despite some very lush and detailed arrangements. Since drummer Josh Wells is also credited with recording and mixing, could he tell us more about the process of creating Dream Noise in the studio?
Josh Wells: We built our own little studio in 2021, a small one-room space in an old Chicago warehouse repurposed for rehearsal and recording studios. We dubbed it 'The Mango Pit.' We jammed and demoed most of the new songs there. Half of the bed tracks were done in this small room. For the other half, we decamped to Palisade, a fancier studio with a big live room. Some songs needed the extra space for the sound, plus we used their Hammond organ to good effect. All the overdubs and mixing were done back at our studio.
Peter: How does having your own private studio space enhance the creative process for Spun Out?
Josh: It's wonderful to have a space that is only ours, where we can record almost anything free of the clock. It makes for excellent arranging and experimentation with the sonics. However, a big traditional studio still has a place. It was nice to intentionally decide which songs needed to be tracked live in a big room versus songs that were better as pastiche-style studio experiments—or some combination of both.
Peter: I notice a greater presence of keyboards and electronic textures in the new music on Dream Noise—spacey little details embellishing the album's sound. What inspired Spun Out, especially the two main keyboardists, to add these textures to hard-driving rock?
Sean Page: I think it's safe to say that I bring a lot of the "spacey" or "trippy" elements to the band. However, all the band members play keyboards and can come up with stuff. I've been interested in synthesizers and creating otherworldly sounds since high school. These elements allow Spun Out to create a sound-bed for the music to breathe in while creating huge twists and turns, keeping the songs fresh and surprising. As Lucas in the movie Empire Records poetically reminds us: "Always play with their minds."
Peter: Are there any special artists or songwriters you would cite as influences on Spun Out's new music?
Mikey: I'm a huge Peter Gabriel fan, and he always seems to be a touchpoint for me lyrically and vocally on the Spun Out records. I also love Joe Strummer of the Clash, Smokey Robinson, and Desmond Dekker!
Peter: Mikey, the first single and video from Dream Noise, "Paranoia," was inspired by your experience of getting caught in a riptide in the Pacific Ocean. Can you elaborate on how that experience motivated you to write the song?
Mikey: I had several mishaps with water as a kid. I often dream about those weird accidents, and it's the same with that riptide. There's a theme in that song and, really, on the whole album: where dreams and reality meet. Lucid dreaming, déjà vu, and water images are all part of the various threads that line the lyrics on Dream Noise.
Peter: What are Spun Out's plans for 2025? Does the band have any new material in the works? What about upcoming tours or significant gigs?
Mikey: We will play shows in Chicago and the Midwest this winter. We already have a bunch of tunes for the next album, so I'm sure we will start chipping away at that soon enough!
Peter: Thanks, Mikey, Josh, and Sean, for your thoughtful insights. I'm really digging Dream Noise. I wish you the best of luck with it and all of Spun Out's future endeavors.
Mikey: Thanks again!
Dream Noise can be purchased on Bandcamp and Qobuz or listened to on your streaming platform of choice. You can also grab vinyl LP from Shuga Records.
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