The Wants’ music is a meticulous union of Downtown New York punk infused with a love of minimal techno, topped by songwriter and producer Madison Velding-VanDam’s pivoting persona between romantic and deadpan delivery, his absurdist observations are reliable. Velding-VanDam finds inspiration in the intellectualism and theatrical performances of David Byrne, the jagged guitar strikes and political angst of early Gang of Four, and the art pop of Anohni’s “Drone Bomb Me”. His musical partnership with drummer Jason Gates and Velding-VanDam precedes The Wants, but has strengthened with their meticulous devotion to songwriting and production.

Jason Gates and Velding-VanDam met in 2014 at a Bushwick DIY festival when Velding-VanDam was new to the scene. The Michigan native had spent several years abroad and recently moved to NYC via Berlin, Germany, and before that Santiago, Chile, where he was studying and performing. Velding-VanDam was ripe with whimsical charm and Gates recalls meeting him, “a tall, lanky, translucent, skeleton with hollowed out glitter covered cheekbones and a full face of makeup.” Gates introduced himself after their set, offered Velding-VanDam a sip of his bourbon, and the two became fast friends talking about their shared obsession with musicand production.

They ran into each other a few more times and Gates offered his services as a drummer. Their first project together ONWE was short lived and while Velding-VanDam retooled and Gates focused on work and his project Veda Rays, Velding-VanDam joined his friend Ben Hozie’s new project BODEGA on guitar and as a producer. Heather Elle was the final member to join the project and solidify the lineup. The Virginia native is any only child of a psychology professor and an occupational therapist, she learned how unsettling both the human psyche and white suburbia could be, which fueled her passion for music and brooding songwriting style. After a decade in New York City, she decided on a whim to play bass in BODEGA, where she met Madison and felt a strong musical chemistry whilst discovering their mutual inclinations towards dissonant songwriting.