EXCLUSIVE: Generationals Share Cosmic New Single “Waking Moment”

New Orleans indie pop duo Generationals have been bouncing around for the last 15 years. After rising from the ashes of the now-defunct, Baton Rouge-based indie crew the Eames Era, former classmates Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer quickly became known for having an unshakable chemistry together and exulting delectable grooves. Though the duo released their EP Ileana in 2021, it’s been four years since the Generationals last put out a full-length record. 2019’s Reader as Detective was a touchstone in their catalog, a permanent shift towards the sound that Joyner and Widmer have been relentlessly working towards.

On their forthcoming LP Heatherhead, the Generationals have teamed up with the likes of Nick Krill (The War on Drugs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spinto Band), Small Black, Seth Kaufman (Floating Action) and Jonny Campos (Lost Bayou Ramblers) to create their most-ambitious manifestation of warm, danceable indie pop balms yet. The record was born out of Joyner and Widmer fully trusting their process together and following their curiosities down every turn. As a result, Heatherhead is patient, bittersweet and energetic, and lead single “Dirt Diamond” was the smooth, punchy vibrancy of flickering earworm melodies and vulnerable recollections that we all needed.

On new single “Waking Moment,” the Generationals build upon their focused momentum. The days of “When They Fight, They Fight” and “Put a Light On” are gone, as Joyner and Widmer are now making their most-fearless daydreams to date. With an intoxicating chorus and unforgettable rhythm section, “Waking Moment” is, immediately, one of the duo’s greatest and most-joyous creations. It’s not just a song about love, but an anthem about revolting against the act of falling out of touch. “Oh my sweet love / I hear the curtain call / Disabuse me of / That notion after all / I’ll write these letters for you / Not much has seemed to change / No matter what you said,” the Generationals harmonize.

“[‘Waking Moment’] is kind of a message you’d send to an old friend you’ve fallen out with,” Joyner says about the track. “If enough time had passed and you suddenly had the courage to say all the things you’d always wished you could. We had these verses in the works and I remember floating the idea past our long-time friend Seth Kaufman to see what he thought and he was like, ‘Try this on the chorus.’ That final piece really helped gel the whole thing for me. I’ve always loved the urgency of the rhythm section of this song. Like the whole song stays in this suspended moment of anticipation.”

“The first memory of ‘Waking Moment’ that comes to mind is about how immediately engaging the chorus felt. I love how the chorus lyrics hit that great double whammy of feeling very personal to the singer, but also very relatable to the person listening. I also loved how the chorus initially was more of a mellow “down” chorus, where the instrumentation and energy of the song becomes a little lower when the chorus begins. It is really interesting how a “down” chorus can bring the listener’s attention closer…which both matches the emotion of that moment of the song, and then also makes the song feel extra impactful when the energy kicks back in. I also loved how the down chorus felt in the context of the entire album as a whole. I love when the songs on an album have a variety of arcs.