Q&A: Inner Wave on Returning Home, Experimentation, and The Energy of Coming Back
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY DANY MIRELES ☆
INNER WAVE RETURNS TO THEIR ROOTS, BOTH SONICALLY AND PHYSICALLY, WITH A RECORD THAT FEELS LIKE A RECKONING AND A RELEASE AT ONCE - Created in the familiarity of their rehearsal space, affectionately nicknamed “The Swamp,” SEE YOU WHEN I GET BACK emerges from the chaos of the road and an intentional pause that allowed the band to reconnect with themselves.
After years of touring, the Los Angeles-based group found themselves craving something different: a return to intimacy, to movement, to the kind of energy that transforms a live show into something visceral. What followed was a record full of momentum, while still holding the introspection that has defined their sound. It’s a balance between polished and imperfection, between control and chaos, and between internal and communal.
In conversation with The Luna Collective, Inner Wave reflects on the process of returning home, embracing experimentation, and creating a project that feels both deeply personal and meant to be shared loudly.
LUNA: You’ve described making this record at “The Swamp.” How did being back in your own rehearsal space, away from the chaos of touring, change the emotional atmosphere of the sessions?
INNER WAVE: I think it allowed us to take our time and try out different recording techniques. Being in our own home studio gave us the comfort and confidence to experiment. We combined our equipment with Cruz’s gear and basically created a mega studio in The Swamp. After being on the road for so long, it felt really good to come back together and focus on getting each song exactly how we wanted it.
LUNA: The album feels more rhythm-forward and immediate. Was leaning into your garage rock roots a conscious decision, or did that energy naturally resurface?
INNER WAVE: After touring, we noticed that the heavier, more uptempo songs made the crowd move the most and brought a certain energy to our shows. We wanted to capture that in this album. It’s always been part of our roots, so it felt natural and, honestly, really fun to fully embrace it this time.
LUNA: You experimented with unconventional recording techniques like using headphones as microphones. Was there a moment in the studio where an experiment completely surprised you?
INNER WAVE: Something definitely surprised us… but that’s a secret.
LUNA: The album balances polished psych-pop textures with something raw and human. How did you know when to stop refining a song and let it stay imperfect?
INNER WAVE: There are a lot of moments in music where a mistake can actually make something feel unique and interesting. We try to embrace that. It’s important that music still has a human element; it makes it feel more real and relatable. We usually find a way to make those imperfections work in the final version.
LUNA: There’s a tension between introspection and upbeat momentum. Was it important to make a record people could dance to, even while processing heavier themes?
INNER WAVE: We’ve always liked pairing introspective lyrics with groovy tracks. Pablo writes lyrics that are open to interpretation, so listeners can find their own meaning in them. That contrast between heavy themes and upbeat sounds, it feels very human. It can be both complex and simple at the same time.
LUNA: The film premiered at Gardena Cinema. How meaningful was it to debut such a personal project in your hometown?
INNER WAVE: It felt like a full-circle moment. We started the band in Gardena 20 years ago as kids, and now we’re premiering our first film there. We used to watch movies at the Gardena Cinema without ever imagining we’d sell it out one day. It’s really special. It’s also one of the few family-owned theaters left, which makes it even closer to home. We made this film ourselves with help from our community, and that’s exactly how the cinema operates too. It made the whole experience even more meaningful.
LUNA: Did creating the film change how you now listen to the album? Does one medium reshape the other?
INNER WAVE: Once a song has visuals attached to it, it’s hard not to picture them when you listen. I think both media definitely reshaped each other. Our background in music made things like ADR, Foley, and building the soundtrack really fun. We were learning how to make a film in real time, and that curiosity came from the same work ethic we’ve built through music.
LUNA: Were there scenes built specifically around certain songs like “MADRE” or “PUSH,” or did the visuals come first?
INNER WAVE: While making the album, Pablo read a screenwriting book that inspired us to think of the record like a film structure. We started shaping the album as a story, which eventually led to the idea of making a film. So when we were writing it, we used certain songs as key moments in that narrative.
LUNA: Looking ahead to the Spring 2026 headline run, are there specific cities that feel especially symbolic for this era?
INNER WAVE: Texas has always felt like a second home for us. We’ve been welcomed there since the beginning. But Los Angeles will always be the most symbolic. It’s where we’re from, where we started playing shows as kids. Every time we come back with new music, it’s special to see how much things have grown with both new fans and people who’ve been with us from the start.
