Photo by Khoa Nguyen
American noir synth duo CAUSEWAY return in 2025 with their own brand of sophisticated downbeat melodrama on their second album ‘Anywhere’.
Comprising of Allison Rae and Marshall Watson, their first full length album ‘We Were Never Lost’ was released on Italians Do It Better in 2022 to immediate acclaim, with syncs on Netflix TV shows ‘Never Have I Ever’, and ‘Riverdale’ to reinforce that praise. The album’s excellent lead single ‘Dancing With Shadows’ heralds a new relationship with Manchester independent label Sprechen Music as well as an update to their dreamy cinematic sound.
With the dark and light narratives of ‘Anywhere’ due to be made public soon, CAUSEWAY chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about its making…
It’s been over 2 and a half years since ‘We Were Never Lost’ was released and even longer since the first CAUSEWAY song was late 2020, have you changed as people in the that time?
Marshall: I think we’ve evolved as a collaborative team. Back then we were two disparate people who happened to make a decent song and fell backwards into a label relationship without even trying. I think now we are much more cohesive as creatives and songwriters. We still have our roles, but the dialogue is different, the world is different, our energy is different and we express ourselves better.
Allison: I think we’ve really streamlined our writing process. For the first album, it was a blend of different approaches—some songs were written entirely remotely, others were created together in the same room, and some were a mix of both. Through that experience, we discovered that we work best when writing remotely, passing songs back and forth. For the second album, we embraced this method fully, and I believe it allowed us to be more vulnerable and true to what we were feeling. It gave us the space to reflect and express ourselves in a way that felt authentic and deeply personal.
As a person, I feel like I’ve changed quite a bit. Working through the frustrations and disappointment of my divorce was a significant journey. It was a challenging time, but it also offered a lot of growth and self-discovery. I think a few of our new songs really capture those emotions. Writing during that period was incredibly cathartic and eye-opening – it became a way to process everything I was feeling.
What was the approach this time round for ‘Anywhere’, it appears to be subtle development rather than say what AIR did from ‘Moon Safari’ to ’20,000Hz’ which was to cut off any sonic lineage?
Marshall: For me, I definitely didn’t want to cut off any lineage, in fact I think we were always trying to still ‘sound like us’, but we did want to explore some different sonic territory. Honestly I think we just took it one song at a time and really focussed on trying to make something special that we resonated with and hoped others would as well. The sound of this album, I think, still keeps a synth-centric feel, which we’ve always leaned toward.
Allison: I can’t speak much to the sonic qualities of the album – that’s all Marshall’s expertise. Lyrically, though, I feel like it carries a similar thread to our first album. Love and grief seem to be recurring themes for us, and they’ve naturally continued into the second album. That said, I do think our second album has a darker sonic quality, which I absolutely love. It adds a depth and intensity that feels like an evolution of our sound.
What synths were your main tools in the production of ‘Anywhere’?
Marshall: Lots of Prophet 8, ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe, and the Moog Grandmother. I have the same drums I use for nearly every track. I built the kick, snare and toms specifically for CAUSEWAY and I use them in just about every song. The Moog handles bass almost exclusively. I also have a Novation Summit which has an incredible sound… it can be really rough, distorted and powerful, and also super delicate. Many of the high end arpeggios come from the Summit. Every time the music seems to ‘soar’, that’s the Prophet though. That thing cuts through any mix.
The first single off the new album ‘Dancing With Shadows’ retains the shady mystery of the previous album, was it important not to shake things up too much for this preview of ‘Anywhere’?
Marshall: I like the word “mystery” when used with us. ‘Dancing With Shadows’ was written in a fever dream last year. I had the flu and was rocking a 102F fever and woke up one night and had nearly the entire song in my head. I got up and wrote it down and sung it into my phone. The next day I hit up Allie and we knocked it out in about 3 days. Call that what you will… mysterious, maybe just the universe guiding us a little bit. It just seemed to fit for the first single. It’s a little darker maybe, but I think it is a good lead in for ‘Anywhere’.
Allison: I absolutely love the song ‘Dancing with Shadows’. It was entirely written by Marshall. It’s heavy, dark, and powerful. It’s one of those songs that can completely transform the vibe of a room the moment it plays. This track was a no-brainer as our first single off Sprechen Recordings, especially with the brilliant remixes accompanying it. After two years without releasing anything, I think this song makes a bold statement: We’re still here making killer tracks. Get ready for more.
Creatively, has the process altered from previously, what had you decided you could do a bit better this time around?
Marshall: The process was pretty much the same. We bounce ideas off each other and eventually something sticks. Sometimes it’s as simple as a phrase. Allie had this amazing line in ‘Love Me Like Your Last Time’, where she basically sang those words in a demo. It stuck and the rest of the song was built off that. I started thinking about last time, first time, all time… etc. The rest of the song evolved really fast. We weren’t really trying to do anything better, we just communicated a little easier maybe. Sometimes it’s a musical motif that gets the flow going, and sometimes it’s a lyrical theme. We try to be open to the evolution. I read Rick Ruben’s book ‘The Creative Act’ last year and that really opened my eyes in terms of how to let things happen. In his book, he makes a distinction between a craftsman and an artist, which rang true to me. TLDR… you can’t control everything all the time.
Allison: The second album seemed to develop quicker than the first. I think it’s because we just figured out what process worked best for us.
The ‘Anywhere’ title song is different to what CAUSEWAY have done before as it is more Motorik and minimal, how did this track come about?
Marshall: I wanted to break out of the slow mo thing for a bit. . I’m a fan of NEU! and other ‘Kraut’ rock styles… COLD BEAT do that sound really well too, see also WAR ON DRUGS. I’ve been experimenting with that style of production for a while, but nothing really took hold. With ‘Anywhere’, we’d tried a few different angles on it, and then I got a really sweet Cherry Audio plugin of the CR78 drum machine… that sort of sealed the deal for the sound. We were already working on the lyrics, the rest of the song developed naturally. I asked Dale from ENDLESS ATLAS if he’d do some guitar work for us and he nailed it. To me it feels very ‘out of the box’ for CAUSEWAY but it fits in our universe.
Allison: Anywhere is definitely different from the songs we usually produce. It’s lighter with a softness that shines through its harmonies but it works. It serves as a beautiful contrast to the darker tones of the other tracks and gives the album a moment to breathe.
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
One of the album highlights ‘Lightyears’ refers to someone who “doesn’t want to change”, is this song autobiographical?
Marshall: There is a really honest story in this song but I’m not going to tell it. All of our tracks have an element of our own experiences in them, but rarely are they outright ‘autobiographical’ … this song is like that. Maybe some of it is, lots of it isn’t, but it’s a good story. To me I feel like we try to get to the universal… the thing that many people can relate to. “I’m trying really hard not to cry, when I do it just ends in a fight” isn’t about us, it’s about anyone who’s ever gone to bed sad.
Allison: “Maybe we will be alright, in another life” is such an emotional line to me. I can’t remember if that was a line that Marshall wrote or me. I remember I did edits on the lyrics and he wrote the majority of this track. It’s just so emotional because I feel everything I’m singing. Having to leave someone that I loved was the hardest thing I have ever done.
There’s a lot of paranoia on ‘Put Up A Fight’ which musically appears to fall under the spell of THE CURE? As a side, what did you think of their new album ‘Songs Of A Lost World’?
Marshall: I’ve only scanned through the new CURE album. Some of it I like and some of it might take a minute to connect with. The older CURE tracks definitely surface in ‘Put Up A Fight’. Definitely in the guitar work. Maybe ‘Kiss Me’ era?
Allison: ‘Songs of a Lost World’ is a masterpiece. It does not disappoint.
‘Ruin Me’ has great lyrics and great synth sounds, is this a fine example of your partnership dynamic firing on all cylinders?
Marshall: Is it? Of course it is… I think we’re firing on all cylinders all the time 🙂
Allison: I wrote the lyrics to ‘Ruin Me’ a few weeks after I filed for divorce. ‘Ruin Me’ is a very sexual song at face value, but its shadow side reveals anger and the willingness to take the fall, to endure the pain. It’s a plea that says, “go ahead and destroy me – I never want to feel this way again.” It’s intense, vulnerable, and captures the complexity of surrendering to something that hurts and also wanting it to hurt.
So “what does it feel to be human?”
Marshall: Ah. Maybe our only political track. This year and last, with Israel and Palestine, as well as Ukraine… it’s just so sad, no matter what your views are. There is just so much suffering going on. I was working on words that spoke to that, and was having trouble sorting it all out. I connected with Hannah Lew of COLD BEAT, and she helped finesse the writing and took on lead vocals. She and I finished out the track, trying not to be overtly “U2” political, but still have a message. Just…. stop. Everyone just try and be nice to each other.
Allison: Sometimes irritatingly vulnerable and not safe. I hope this track breaks through that heavy feeling and offers humanity a sense of hope. Hannah Lew’s delivery was absolutely incredible – she brought so much depth and emotion to the song. She re-crafted a few of the lyrics, including my absolute favorite line: “I lost my hope in the ruin, until I heard you say it’s alright”. That line captures a universal vulnerability, one that resonates deeply in the contexts of not only war, but love and loss. It’s a powerful reminder of human resilience.
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
You have been performing a cover of ‘Nobody’s Diary’ by YAZOO live and have committed it to vinyl as the album’s closer, was there much tweaking to do in the final arrangement you settled on?
Marshall: This one has been cooking for a while now. I think we took the same approach as we did for the Madonna cover of ‘Crazy For You’… reduce it, extend it, destroy it, and rebuild it, all the while remaining, or at least trying to remain, reverent to the original. I’m a huge YAZ(OO) fan, and ‘Nobody’s Diary’ is probably my favorite track. Alison Moyet has such a soulful delivery, and we took a more defiant angle – I can hear the anger in Allie’s delivery, and I love it. I intentionally delayed the lead off synths so we could work our way into the song… kinda hide the magic so to speak.
This version is pretty close to the way it was a couple years ago when we were playing it out, but we had it mixed (as well as everything else) by Jesse Beuker, who mixes all of R. MISSING’s work. I think that he took it to the place it needed to be sonically. Actually, speaking of Jesse, he really created a wonderful space with all the mixes, I can’t recommend him enough. We really put him through the ringer with revisions and ultimately we landed in a place that everyone was super happy with. He’s as patient as he is skilled.
How did the new label relationship with Sprechen music in Manchester come about, what made them attractive to CAUSEWAY?
Marshall: I got connected with Chris through another DJ friend Alice Palace (UK/Ibiza), he and I hit it off musically right away as he’s part of the ALFOS community, a direct legacy DJ crew of Andrew Weatherall. Initially he wanted to work with Allie on track for his THIEF OF TIME project, and that sort of opened doors for a release and the conversations about the album.
Manchester holds this kind of magical place in my musical history for me… that’s where some of my favorite music and many of my musical influences come from… NEW ORDER, OMD, JOY DIVISION, most of the Factory Records catalogue–it seemed like a great fit for us. Our relationship was immediately organic and honest – he says what he means and means what he says. Additionally, Chris is a super nice guy, incredibly talented, and he’s involved with some of the best music coming out of the UK right now. I feel like he kinda went out on a limb with us, and it’s an honor to be working with him.
Allison: I love working with Chris. He’s been very supportive from the beginning and just all around a nice guy. I hope to maintain relationships with him and IDIB. Looking forward to more opportunities in 2025.
Do you have a favourite song for the new album, one that holds the best memories during recording?
Marshall: Personally I like ‘Anywhere’ and ‘Lightyears’. We just played a packed show opening for NEW CONSTELLATIONS here in Boise, and there was a great moment where we were playing ‘Anywhere’. When Allie sang the words “I had my reason, you had your lines, it’s taken years but I’m just fine…”, the crowd went bonkers. It’s such a quiet part of the song, it was amazing to me how they were really connected to what she was singing in a live setting… and no one had even heard that track before. It’s the one and only time we’ve played it out. I really felt connected to the audience at that moment. Honestly I like all the songs for different reasons.
Allison: Hands down, ‘Love Me Like Your Last Time’. This track was the last track we wrote for the album. Before we wrote it, I kept harassing Marshall telling him we needed one last banger. I think I might have annoyed him a little, but he came around and sent the audio file to me and I immediately was like THIS IS IT! Then we worked together on the lyrics and here we are!
Photo by Khoa Nguyen
Do you think you’ve achieved the “Mean dirty break up album” that you said you hoped to make when we last spoke?
Marshall: I dunno. I don’t think this album is mean, in some ways I think it’s actually kinda hopeful. I think it’s better than our last one, both in songwriting and production. I like where we’ve gone with music, and I like this freedom to do what we want. I also feel like we connected with more universal themes this time around. Maybe??
Allison: Haha! I think that might have been something that I said. I think we’ve created something darker and more mysterious. It carries the weight of heartbreak but also hope. It captures the complexity of moving through pain toward something brighter.
What are CAUSEWAY’s plans for the rest of 2025 and beyond?
Marshall: Keep making music. I have a lot going on with music, some new collaborative work with Cole Odin, and a new single of my own with Alona Esposito on Sprechen slated for next year. There are some life changes coming, but Allie and I have always been a kind of ‘file sharing’ sort of project, so I doubt anything changes with CAUSEWAY. I’m super excited for the new album, and I hope people connect with it. This time around we’ve worked with some amazing people – the Sprechen team, Jesse, Hannah, Dale … ‘Anywhere’ took all of us operating at our best. I hope you liked it, and I hope other people will too.
Allison: Continue to write music that inspires people and makes them want to dance! I never want to stop making music. It’s the best kind of drug.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to CAUSEWAY
‘Dancing With Shadows’ is avaible now as a download bundle with 4 remixes
‘Anywhere’ is released on 14 February 2025 via Sprechen Music in vinyl LP and digital formats from https://sprechen.bandcamp.com/
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Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
5 February 2025
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