Stereo Six: World’s First Cinema List Influences that Shaped ‘Something of Wonder’

For a debut full-length record, World’s First Cinema’s Something of Wonder is a pretty well-rounded affair. The duo recently announced that the album will drop on July 11th via Fearless Records. It will include the first single, the introspective, impassioned “End of My Rope,” which was released to go along with the album announcement. The brainchild of Los Angeles-based duo John Sinclair and Fil Thorpe, they wanted their debut to represent the full range of their musical stylings. They have done cinematic songs, darker, more rock n’ roll-focused songs, and even orchestrated piano ballads. They wanted Something of Wonder to offer a full representation of these sounds and influences.

Although this is their proper first album, World’s First Cinema is not necessarily new to recording music. They have released songs in the past, including their 2023 EP Palm Reader. They have had plenty of time to fine-tune and hone their style. Their sound is rooted in their love of film scores, which has guided their songwriting and their flavour for “big” sounds. But as “End of My Rope” illustrates, Sinclair and Thorpe have a very capable grasp of writing catchy hooks and explosive choruses. They rejoiced at the opportunity to record a full-length album, as it enabled them to incorporate more of their range of influences.

Today, we are joined by World’s First Cinema for a bit of an unconventional Stereo Six. Rather than focus on just six songs or records, they share with us six different bodies of influence that inspired them to write Something of Wonder.

1. The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky

“Something of Wonder draws its art direction from the surrealist cinema of the early ’70s, particularly the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky and his film The Holy Mountain. We were absolutely gripped by the bold, eye-catching avant-garde style used in the movie posters of that era, and used that to inform the imagery that defines our album. Working with artist Sandro Rybak, we crafted a piece that was bright, bold and enigmatic but still held those iconic ’70s undertones of unsettling, cult-ish symbology.”

2. Domiano David’s “Silverlines” Produced By Labrinth

“Released partway through writing and producing our album, ‘Silverlines’ pushed the envelope on cinematic song structure in a way we really hadn’t heard many other artists take a chance on. Hugely inspiring to hear such a massive song that went against the grain of structured, pop-forward songwriting. The kind of risk-taking in production and writing that ‘Silverlines’ represented to us is evident in our song ‘Broken,’ the lyrics of which inspired the title Something of Wonder.”

3. Labrinth’s Production Style and Body of Work

“It’s hard to pinpoint a singular musician as inspiring to our sound as Labrinth. Even his earlier pieces, like the absolute gut-wrencher ‘Jealous,’ informed the way we play piano and structure chords and song movement to this day. To be able to range from that, all the way to the Euphoria soundtrack, is just astounding. Definitely an icon in the world of genre-bending, cinematic breadths of work. Which is exactly where we see Something of Wonder belonging.”

4. Twenty One Pilots – Vessel (2013, Fueled By Ramen)

“First hearing this record and the way that iconic duo smashed together electronic influences and pop-punk inspiration opened up so many new avenues for that ‘Alt’ sound. Tracks like ‘Freak Show’ and ‘The Underneath’ have a lot of Twenty One Pilots inspiration behind them.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on blending the cinematic, electronic, acoustic, and rock elements of everything we love into one eclectic project. Not many bands do that as well as Twenty One Pilots has over the years.”

5. Celtic Folk Classics

“This sound is particularly obvious in our ‘Silver Screen’ interludes. So much of the melodic violin that leads those interludes can be traced directly to time spent growing up playing Celtic folk music. There aren’t many sounds that carry the same sombre emotion as classics from that old era, and those form the bedrock of the symphonic productions that are entwined throughout Something of Wonder.”

6. Hans Zimmer / Howard Shore

“Growing up surrounded by the film scores of these two titans was hugely inspirational in determining how we write, play and produce. Especially when it comes to our more symphonic-leaning productions. Being raised on The Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Batman Begins and a dozen more epics will shape the way you think about music, and the scale at which you dream of making it.”

World’s First Cinema ‘Something of Wonder’ album artwork