Still Cosmic: Cindy Wilson spins back to her new wave roots on Second Sight EP
Photo by Michael Mackie
If the world feels heavy, songstress Cindy Wilson has a cure: it’s called Second Sight. The new EP from the legendary B-52s singer is a fizzy, surf-kitsch, punk-new wave cocktail that somehow manages to sound like the past and the future all at once.
While her first two solo albums were a bit more ethereal and esoteric, this EP has a dance factor that’s turned up to 11. “It’s kind of going back and embracing that energy from when the B’s began,” Wilson says. “We wanted to do something totally different from Change or Realms.”
Wilson’s working once again with producer Suny Lyons, her longtime collaborator (and occasional cosmic co-conspirator), plus her son Nolan, who jumped in to lay down drums. “It was so incredibly special to have him play on this,” Wilson beams. “He’s such a great musician, and it was so incredibly special for us to work with him—and I think he got a kick out of it.”
The six tracks came together in under two months. “That’s unheard of,” Wilson says with a laugh. “The album took shape really fast. That’s an amazing part of the story.”
Image Courtesy of Cindy Wilson
“It was like the end of June when we decided to do something, and then we were pressing records on Aug. 15,” Lyons adds.
Forget wing-and-a-prayer, Wilson says the whole experience was tantamount to lightning in a bottle. “It was a great energy to propel and just get into it,” she says. “You don’t get bored. You’re really just in it, and it’s really magical.”
The day we spoke, Wilson had just returned from shooting some promotional video at a nearby record factory. Her new vinyl, by the way, is not just your average record. “Cindy literally pressed her own vinyl,” Lyons says. “She was at the plant making these colorful designs, pressing them herself, and signing them.”
“Oh, it was so much fun,” Wilson adds. “We met the folks who worked there and just had a blast.”
The sound of Second Sight is unmistakably Wilson: kerplunk guitar riffs, surfy swagger, and that unmistakable southern twang-meets-space-age soprano. “It feels like my rocker voice,” she says proudly. “That’s what I love—to be a rocker like that. And it’s playful, I love that part.”
Lyons says the buoyant tone wasn’t an accident. “We just felt that’s what the times needed,” he explains. “I think people really are hungry for something fun. Also, there’s an awful lot of social and political darkness to speak to. We didn’t want it to feel heavy.”
That balance of fun with feeling is Wilson’s sweet spot. From the first strum of Phantasm (a fan favorite and certified barnburner) to the dreamy retro grooves sprinkled throughout, Second Sight feels like a joyful defiance of gloom. “I like the simplicity of the punk, New Wave era,” Wilson says. “And it feels good. It really feels good.”
Wilson and Lyons have been working together for more than a decade, and the chemistry shines on this EP. But, in the beginning, the two needed a hot-minute to gel, especially given Wilson’s all-over-the-(sound)-board range.
“This part is interesting because Suny didn’t know my voice except from, I guess, hearing songs back in the day, so he didn’t know what I could do,” says Wilson. “There was a lot of experimenting, and that’s what was so great. But now I’ve been working with him [for] probably around 10 years, so he’s gotten to know my voice, which is really helpful. He can embrace my dissonance and my melodies so much.”
In speaking with the two musically-inclined partners, they act as an old married couple, occasionally finishing each other’s sentences. Turns out, they also complete each other’s lyrics, chords, and harmonies. “A lot of the time, I’ll have an idea for something that I think we should explore, and I’ll sing what I think she should sing or an idea that she could run with,” Lyons says. “So, it’s like me kind of trying to do her, which is always a little bit laughable.”
“It’s fun,” Wilson quips. “I love that he gets it!”
Image Courtesy of Cindy Wilson
As for hitting the road? “We’ve been asked,” she says, “but it’s not possible right now. I’m still working with the B’s, and Suny’s busy producing and touring.” Lyons agrees: “When we toured Change, it took months of rehearsal. So never say never, but not right this minute.”
Wilson still finds herself channeling her late brother and bandmate Ricky Wilson, whose jangly, otherworldly guitar defined The B-52s’ sound.
“Sometimes I can hear Ricky in there,” she says. “It’s like he’s in the room. That’s very comforting. It’s a healing thing, really. Music is a time machine sometimes.”
Even after decades of wild wigs, space-age stage looks, and iconic hits, Wilson is still the most delightfully grounded person in any room. When asked which karaoke song she’d crush, she doesn’t miss a beat: “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’—or maybe Downtown. I’ve done them all. I like variety.”
And her favorite wig? “Oh, I helped design one made of chicken wire!” she giddily recalls. “It had a dark pixie base and this long, rolled ponytail woven through it. That thing’s still together. It’s in a museum now.”
At 68 years young, Wilson’s still proving what the B’s knew all along: The world will always need a little more rhythm, a little more weird, and a whole lot more magic. It doesn’t hurt that the band is currently crisscrossing the country alongside Devo.
The two groups are co-headliners on their well-received Cosmic De-Evolution Tour, where they continue spinning joy out of chaos. “I’m having so much fun again,” she says. “Seeing people happy and dancing, it’s magic. That’s what music’s supposed to do. That’s what the B’s always taught me. And honestly, the world could use more magic right now.”
