A Day In The Life: Double Wish
Lead photo by Lauryn Alvarez. Introduction by Heather Hawke. Photo captions by the band.
The newly released Expanded Edition of Double Wish’s Light Split Sparkle is out now via Hit the North/Neon Bloodbath and with the addition of four extra tracks – “Say This,” “Pleasure,” “Edge To Edge” and a “Yppah Remix” of “Fever Dream” – the duo’s debut EP shines even brighter. Shifting between shimmery, psychedelic dream-pop to dizzying shoegaze, the tunes on the debut EP are shaped by Philippe Andre’s and Adam Sabolick’s wide collection of influences from a long history as collaborators. Though the two are childhood friends and have been playing music together in a series of different projects throughout Southern California since 2007, the release of Light Split Sparkle this past March was Philippe and Adam’s debut EP under the “Double Wish” name.
The self-proclaimed “dark-sunshine-pop-duo” is drawn towards incorporating visual elements, video game references, and majestic portrayals of incredibly specific vibes. More specifically, Adam told Buzzbands that the Mamas & the Papas’ influential album People Like Us sent him in a specific artistic direction that was “more psychological than sonic.”
Light Split Sparkle, in addition to being available on streaming platforms, was pressed to only 100 twelve-inch 180g vinyl records, which have since sold out. The debut release was supported by a sold-out Los Angeles show at Permanent Records Roadhouse, with additional shows in Orange County and San Diego, and an in-store performance at the iconic Fingerprints Music in Long Beach. Catch the band playing at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles on Thu, Sep 14.
Double Wish’s web/socials: Website – Bandcamp – Soundcloud – Instagram
Upon finishing their Southern California tour in July, finding radio support from KCRW and KEXP, and having sold out of vinyl inventory, the band turned to songs that did not make it onto the first-edition EP and began pursuing a b-sides style release. Voilà, Light Split Sparkle (EXPANDED) was born. Featuring 4 new tracks including a remix from Yppah, this release is limited to 250 copies on 140g vinyl across 2 colorways: Sugary Plum Violet Splatter and Blue Dream Baby Transparent Blue. Get your copy here before they sell out!
Today we are looking at what a release day looks like for Double Wish and the days leading up to it. From coffee routines to surfing, studio days to band practices and shows. Double Wish is keeping busy bringing us fresh music and engaging live performances. The band is slated to headline Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 14th presented by Sid The Cat, a show surely not to be missed! Get your tickets early and help support independent music!
Every day starts with coffee. In the past both Philippe and Adam worked as baristas. Philippe has a near spiritual connection to his morning caffeine ritual: “Wake up, contemplate the dream state ‘other side’ I just crash landed from. Head to the kitchen and brew a tasty cup. Lately it’s been an iced Columbia washed pour over from Rapport Coffee Roasters in San Clemente. Sip, meld into the studio, blast off into audio space.”
This is a picture of Andre’s studio where the band records. All of the songs included on “Light Split Sparkle (EXPANDED)”, with the exception of the Yppah remix, were recorded, mixed, and mastered here by Andre. From 2020-2022 Double Wish recorded about 15 songs in this studio, the pool which the final song selection was made from.
Andre on his studio:
“Started putting things together back in 2016, dug my 50s wfl drum kit out of storage, bought an old Yamaha mixer and started recording. Fast forward to now and the collection has grown, more drums, more synths, more mics, more gear, hopefully more ideas? Maybe just more gear.”
Pictured here is an image of Sabolick’s 1986 Takamine acoustic guitar, the instrument he wrote all of “Light Split Sparkle (EXPANDED)” on.
Sabolick on his guitar: “This guitar has been in my family since I was born. I grew up playing on it and it’s a very special instrument to me. It’s the era of Takamine where they were getting sued by Martin Guitars over the design similarities… I love it.”
Leading up to the release of “Light Split Sparkle (EXPANDED)” the band released several music videos— Sugary Plum directed by Justin Daashuur Hopkins, Blue Dream Baby directed by Ed Diven, Edge to Edge directed by Ryan Contreras, and their latest single Pleasure directed by ronny k.
Although the band works as a duo in the studio, they perform together live as a five-piece. Speaking on the band, Sabolick says:
“Our live band rules. It is made up of life-long friends. We have toured together, performed together, and have experienced so much together both personally and as artists. I have been following Garet Powell’s work as a drummer since I was a teenager, and the fact that we get to play together now, after all these years, is like a dream come true. I met Raff through some friends of friends back in probably 2010ish. I saw him at a traffic light once and recognized him, we decided to pull over for a cup of coffee and a quick hang. We ended up moving in together like a month later, which resulted in a lot of impromptu jamming and recording. Johnny and I played in a band together for eight years and did countless tours and studio sessions together. And as mentioned before, Philippe and I have been writing and recording music together for probably, something like 16 years. Crazy! Our band is made up of friends, musicians, and artists who have shared formative experiences together. Each one of them brings so much to the table when we perform.”
Although the band maintains an active presence on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Spotify, catching Double Wish live is an immersive experience. For headline shows the band often times throws disposable cameras into the crowd, encouraging people to take photos with their friends and to return them to the merch table when the show is over. The resulting images are fun and engaging, creating a unique live music experience.
Between playing shows, rehearsals, releasing music, making videos, printing t-shirts, designing show posters, and everything else, the band enjoys spending long days at the beach surfing, eating Bahn Mi, and listening to music.
Catch Double Wish Thursday, September 14th at Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles with support from Kurupi, presented by Sid The Cat. Get tickets here — see you at the show!
