Cults sound like the moment dawn breaks. Akin to light piercing a dark corner, the multi-platinum New York duo—multi-instrumentalists Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion—temper shadowy, cinematic soundscapes with flickering melodic singalongs. Their uncanny ability to balance alternative sonic architecture with unassuming pop songcraft has threaded their music into the DNA of 21st-century culture. True outliers, they remain equally comfortable collaborating with The Weeknd, rap titan J. Cole, or maverick indie director Jim Jarmusch, while commanding stages from Coachella to tours with The Pixies and Vampire Weekend. Along the way, their music has surged through popular television series and films.
The pair confidently refine their signature vision on their fifth full-length LP, To The Ghosts [IMPERIAL].
“Without knowing it, we’ve spent our whole career building a world of our own,” observes Brian. “We just try to create the emotion that we want to feel. This record is another piece of the picture, but the picture isn’t done yet. We’d be in Cults no matter what. It’s the way we live our lives.”
“We’ve never known life any other way,” agrees Madeline. “We began the band in college, and we haven’t stopped. Cults is life.”
Cults first materialized out of New York in 2010 and have since built a singular world across four acclaimed albums: Cults (2011), Static (2013), Offering (2017), and Host (2020). Along the way, “Always Forever” reached RIAA platinum status, while Offering standout “Gilded Lily” became a cultural phenomenon—going viral on TikTok with over 200K creates in 2022 and earning gold certification. Their devoted fanbase spans early adopters and new listeners alike, drawn in by the band’s relatable lyricism and authenticity.
Expanding their impact, Cults appeared on J. Cole’s 6×-platinum hit “She Knows” (feat. Cults & Amber Coffman) and have co-written with artists ranging from G-Eazy to Freddie Gibbs. Beyond selling out headline tours and appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, they’ve graced the stages of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and more. Tastemaker praise from NPR, Paste, Clash, Pitchfork, and The Ringer followed, alongside more than 1.5 billion streams and an average of 12.7+ million monthly Spotify listeners. Their music has powered campaigns for Garnier, Madewell, and Vuori, and landed major syncs across Netflix, HBO, Showtime, and ABC.
For To The Ghosts, Cults embarked on a more intimate creative process, writing and recording initially in Brian’s apartment. Early ideas dated back to the pandemic, when they worked weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. without deadlines. In 2022, they traveled to Los Angeles to collaborate with longtime producer and trusted creative confidant Shane Stoneback—“nobody can read our minds like he can,” Madeline jokes.
This time, stream-of-consciousness vocals guided the process.
“This is the first record where I would pick up the microphone and sing whatever I was feeling,” recalls Madeline. “The vocals and lyrics really informed the direction rather than the other way around. Every track brings me back to what I was going through at the time.”
“Sometimes we used to work on a song for a year, put a vocal on it, and redo it,” Brian adds. “This time, as soon as we put down some chords and a rhythm, it was like, ‘Let’s start singing.’ We really focused on sentiment, emotion, and vibe.”
To The Ghosts opens with “Crybaby,” where symphonic bells ring over a tribal beat and dissonant guitar riff before giving way to swooning horns and Madeline’s lamenting croon.
“‘Crybaby’ was the first key that opened the box,” says Brian. “It got us back to basics. You could say it’s the most ‘Cults song’ on the record.”
“It’s so us,” Madeline agrees. “Very straightforward and honest.”
On “Left My Keys,” ethereal guitar and shimmering synths frame a hypnotic backbeat.
“It’s about growing up and feeling like you’re being left behind,” Madeline explains. “Eventually you realize you don’t care anymore. It’s freeing to let go of that feeling.”
“With To The Ghosts, ‘Left My Keys’ is dedicated to the ghost of your high school memories,” Brian adds, “with a sense of fondness.”
“Knots” follows with twinkling keys, rolling drums, and dreamy guitar, while “Onions” leans into an off-kilter groove and playful lyricism.
“It’s the pinnacle of Madeline picking up the mic and singing what’s on her mind,” Brian grins. “We realized we don’t have to be serious all the time.”
The album closes with “Hung The Moon,” a sparse, woozy track evoking a David Lynch-like fever dream.
“It has a Twin Peaks roadhouse vibe,” Brian notes. “A sweet nursery rhyme set to an ominous tone—about growing up and realizing life only gets stranger.”
“Overall, the music is more romantic,” Madeline says. “After doing this for so long, I’m less self-conscious about putting my feelings out there.”
In the end, Cults invite listeners deeper into their world with To The Ghosts.
“I hope we create the moments my favorite bands created for me when I was in high school,” Madeline concludes. “They changed my life. If we have any effect at all, maybe you’ll feel seen when you hear us.”
