You recorded your album in a bunch of different locations — was that always the intent? How did you select the locations? Do you think it had an effect on the record to record it in various places rather than at one specific locale?

Leslie: We lead a pretty nomadic life, and the music comes along with us wherever we go. When we're in a new place feeling inspired, that's often when the magic happens. I think Wax Castle, having been recorded this way, gives it a feeling of being on a journey. Some songs sound a little western, others icy, some dreamy, all because of these unique locations.

Andrew: We've had songs that we wrote on the west coast that never got finished until we were on the east coast because the energy of the environment breathed new life into the tune.

What's it like being a musician in Detroit? How would you compare and contrast it with being a creative based in Los Angeles?

Leslie: Los Angeles is hot, dry and constantly sunny. Detroit is damp, freezing in the winter and it feels older and more historic. The two places have completely different rhythms. I'm from outside Detroit, so it feels like home. LA always felt like outer space to me, often in a good way. As a band, we've never actually identified with a particular scene at all but have loved the experience of working and being in both places.

Andrew: LA is amazing because I could see many of my current musical heroes performing all the time, but Detroit feels a lot more intimate. Detroit has many inspiring underground legends — you feel the rich history of some of the best music ever created.

Your visuals are super whimsical. How important is the visual component to you?

Leslie: The visuals are a huge key into the fantastical world of Holy Golden. Creating images and video help us to keep our eyes open for beautiful fleeting moments and strange places, which takes us out of our routine. The process encourages us to tap into a childlike place, where we play characters, wear costumes and work from the imagination. It's fun and rewarding, especially when you get a whole group together to work towards fulfilling a vision.

You made a bunch of mini videos to celebrate the release of the album — what was that process like and what inspired you to make them?

Leslie: The videos are moving collages as platforms to express a deeper meaning behind each song on Wax Castle. We didn't want to force a specific meaning on anyone, so we intuitively filmed bits and pieces from books and life to imply an overall mood, along with some writing about the story behind each song.

Authors are listed as your influences. What are you reading now? What makes a good story?

Leslie: I just finished Joan Didion's Play It As It Lays and am now almost done with a book on Edie Sedgwick I was gifted called Edie: An American Biography written by Jean Stein, which is so addictively fascinating. I keep a book of poetry on hand, right now it's a collection by Michael Earl Craig called Can You Relax In My House. A good story is a place you get lost, but you can see something of yourself in it, and when the story ends, some part of you is changed forever from this new experience.

Andrew: I'm obsessed with magical realism. Anker Frankoni's Mexican Eskimo is one I recently loved, and Doris Lessing's Briefing for a Descent Into Hell is incredible. I'm working my way through Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, but it's pretty slow going so my expectations of finishing it are not that great!

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