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Premiere: Enjoy a Mouthful of West Coast Wolves’ “Factory of Bones” Music Video

For the members of West Coast Wolves, it’s more than just music, it’s a lifestyle. See what we mean with the premiere of the “Factory of Bones” (Mongrel Records) music video.

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For the members of West Coast Wolves, it’s more than just music, it’s a lifestyle. Overflowing with character and gleaming with personality, the band is proud to present their new music video for “Factory of Bones.” The song is lifted from their upcoming debut full-length record Don’t Forget To Howl (Mongrel Records), a hearty sampling of the quintet’s sound, character, and commitment to their craft.

As a unit, they like to live by the philosophy of “music, surf, jol,” which reflects who they are as individuals, fully and completely embracing this lifestyle as human beings, which has really helped endear them to their growing fanbase attracted to the group’s upbeat and original west coast-sounding beats. The album was meant to capture the live energy of the band, which has made them such a significant draw at large shows and festivals where fans can fully indulge in the Wolves’ communal charm.

Discussing both the lyrics and how “Factory of Bones” came together, the band tells us:

“After watching the Coen brothers cult classic O Brother, Where Art Thou, Pete was inspired to write a guitar riff that captured the energy of ‘Man of Constant Sorrow.’ So he brought a riff to practice one day. Galen’s vocal melody fitted seamlessly in no time at all. The rhythm section slotted in perfectly, as they seem to always do (their motto = minimal effort maximum delivery!), gave thumbs up, and Galen was left to write some the lyrics. Luckily, three elements fell into place with little effort. This time! It’s not always the case. The first being Galen’s mumbles which rendered the words ‘sick of it all’ to start the chorus came out first while testing the melody.

“Second, Jem (percussion player) had suggested the name of the song being ‘Factory of Bones’ before the lyrics were even written. It had been a name we’d been wanting to use, but couldn’t find the song. A little unorthodox having the name come before the lyrics, but that’s how magic happens sometimes. And lastly, Galen had recently watched World War II in Colour and a documentary on the Vietnam War which became the inspiration for the song.”

They continue, stating:

“Between lyrics like ‘sick of it all’ (also a good band we like like), a song name like ‘Factory of Bones’ and the inspiration around marching, war, home, friends and fighting for something you may not even believe in, and then generally through daily life, the lyrics came together, and the song was complete after adding in huge vocal harmonies in the country style of ‘Man of Constant Sorrow,’ and a fiddle.

“Funny was the day Pete decided to record the acoustic guitar in studio two semitones up without telling anyone. It did sound nice. Bass was then laid. More guitars etc…, only for Galen to come into studio and not reach the notes. ‘It was pretty funny. I thought my voice was completely stuffed. I thought we may need to re-record a whole bunch of songs.’ Eventually we found the culprit. Guitars and bass had to be re-recorded. There are more stories of Pete and his studio antics, but we’ll tell more as the rest of #dontforgettohowl is released…”

It’s been a steady climb for West Coast Wolves since the release of their debut EP, Hold The Wheel. They began to receive local recognition in their native South Africa after that EP’s release and when they started playing more in the area, primarily because of their originality. Nobody in this scene at the time was making music that sounded anything like this, which is what helped make them such a local favourite. Genres are unimportant to them, with a bunch slapped together in whichever way sounds organic and true to the members. This is about as original of a band as you’re going to find this year, the year of the “West Coast Wolf.”

Artwork for the single “Factory of Bones” by West Coast Wolves

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