The Making of CIVILIAN by Wye Oak - featuring Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack

Life of the Record

In celebration of the 10th anniversary, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack reflect on the writing and recording of the third Wye Oak album, CIVILIAN. In this episode, they describe this intense period as a young band when they were taking every touring opportunity available and were getting burnt out by working constantly. For CIVILIAN, they were moving out of their comfort zone with recording as they sought help beyond their tight knit Baltimore community and went to Dallas to have the record mixed by John Congleton. On a personal level, Jenn talks about the panic attacks she was experiencing along with a sense of shame that she was feeling in response to her music career taking off, distancing her from the people she loved. In addition, Jenn and Andy talk about a key romantic relationship that was ending, which greatly informed the songwriting for this record. From ominous energy in Dallas to questioning religion and long-term relationships to capturing the right guitar solo to making beautiful ugliness, we’ll hear the stories around how the record came together.