In an exclusive conversation, Chadwick Johnson of Hundredth opens up about the band’s journey to create their bold new album, navigating the challenges and freedoms of going independent, and the importance of trusting their creative instincts to shape their evolving sound.
Strife Mag: Good morning! How are you?
Chadwick: I’m good. I have a 15-month-old baby, so life’s a bit crazy but amazing. Just got some coffee, hung out with him, and now I’m in the studio. Every morning’s a trip, but I’m stoked about this album. It’s been a lot of work, but I think people will love it.
Strife Mag: The three singles so far are great. I have a question about the timeline. Your last album was in 2020, with a live album and livestream in 2021, and a single in 2022. When did you start working on this new album?
Chadwick: We started right after Somewhere Nowhere in 2020. I found a demo for a song called Glimmer from fall 2020, but it got forgotten. The album process was on and off since then. We always want to do something different, so we explored a lot. There are hundreds of demos. We even went to a studio in San Francisco for two weeks, wrote what could’ve been an album, but none of those songs made the cut. We were all in different places, trying to appease everyone. The 2022 single, Fantasize, was just throwing something out there to see if people liked it. It did okay, but it was too much my preference, not enough of Alex, the other songwriter. We had to go through all that to get to this album. It wasn’t constant work for five years—more like when Alex was in town, we’d write or hang out. Last August, I decided to finish it before the year ended, so I locked in and sprinted to the finish. Sorry for the long-winded answer!
Strife Mag: No problem at all. Do you guys ever work online, or do you have to be in the same room to make music?
Chadwick: We don’t have to be in the same room. Alex sometimes sends me Ableton project files, and a couple of songs came together that way. Our third member, Andrew, contributes when he’s around but doesn’t record on his own. Some songs I write fully and send to Alex for feedback, others Alex writes the music for, and I work on them. We’re digital, but if we’re together, we try to make something. We haven’t been in the same room since the Welcome To Somewhere Nowhere live video. We’re all great friends, but life—marriage, kids—happens.
Strife Mag: Yeah, life comes at you fast. Since Somewhere Nowhere was independent, what lessons did you take from that into this album?
Chadwick: With our earlier album Rare at Hopeless, we warned them a big change was coming. They hired great PR and radio people, and when we went independent, I just hired those same people. Labels are like a bank with some strategy, but we’ve always guided the creative choices—visuals, design, everything. Going independent is more work, but it feels natural. I do the graphic design, email radio people, set it all up. The hardest part is switching hats from making music to handling the business side. The biggest lesson is trusting your instincts. Labels might send social media mocks, but they’re never exactly you. Hiring people who understand the band and sticking to our authentic vision is key. Fans pick up on that.
Strife Mag: With a baby and only 24 hours in a day, that’s tough but looking good so far. You mentioned the cover design. You changed it halfway through, right? Now it’s the stars everywhere.
Chadwick: Yeah, doing it independently means no red tape. I can do whatever I want. I was working with my friend Johan on the visuals, but when I saw the visualizer, I realized that was the album’s vibe. So I pivoted because it felt more creatively potent and aesthetically matched the album. The new cover is striking and should stand out on streaming services.
Strife Mag: Every album you make is very different. Were there any artists you were obsessed with while making this record?
Chadwick: We keep going back to artists we love, like Radiohead, Interpol for the brooding atmosphere and angular rhythms, a bit of LCD Soundsystem, and touches of The Strokes. We wanted to return to guitars but not repeat Rare. There’s some grunge-gaze influence, but we leaned more into Interpol, The Strokes, Radiohead, The Police, The National, and Editors. We pulled from decades of indie rock, aiming for vast moods and range.
Strife Mag: It’s cool how you pick different bits from the same artists to make each album unique. Would you ever rework older Hundredth songs from a decade ago in your current style?
Chadwick: I’m not nostalgic. I focus on what’s next and how to level up. People online ask about remaking old songs, but it’s not that interesting to me. I think these are the best songs we’ve ever written. Going back to who I was 10 years ago doesn’t excite me—I’d rather make the most potent thing now. It’s an interesting idea, though.
Strife Mag: It seems like a trend, maybe fueled by labels for easy money, like The Amity Affliction redoing Let The Ocean Take Me.
Chadwick: Yeah, with festivals like When We Were Young, there’s a nostalgia cash-in. No hate if fans connect with it. Rare is nearing 10 years, and since it was under a label, there are limits, but there’s probably something cool we could do. The future will tell.
Strife Mag: How has your perspective on the music industry changed after being in it so long?
Chadwick: The barrier to entry is lower now, which is awesome. Doing this album independently would’ve been hard 10 or 15 years ago. There’s more music out there, so you just do your best and hope people connect. Genres are eroding, which is great—you can let all your influences show. It’s about the song now. Anyone can make something on their computer and put it on Spotify. Imperfections are cool, and that’s how we get the best songs.
Strife Mag: Any touring plans for Europe with the new record?
Chadwick: We’ve had loose chats, but nothing’s locked in. We’d love to get back over there. I think our last Europe tour was right before Covid.
Strife Mag: What question should we ask the next person we interview?
Chadwick: That’s a good question for anyone. Ask: What’s the real reason you do what you do?
Hundredth’s new album Faded Splendor is coming out this Friday! Check out the so-far released singles here.
