For over a decade, Los Angeles folk-punk collective Hoist The Colors has built a reputation on heart, honesty, and a deep respect for storytelling. Blending blue-collar punk energy with Celtic folk spirit, the band continues to evolve while keeping their community and their message front and center. We caught up with frontman Josh Linden to talk about the band’s journey, the stories behind their songs and what keeps them moving forward in 2025.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the recent release of “Dear Wanderlust”. The title Dear Wanderlust feels deeply personal… almost like a love letter or a confession. What does “wanderlust” mean to you at this point in your lives and careers?
I think the term Wanderlust can mean various things and touch on a multitude of feelings and experiences. When we started writing the record, the focus was mainly on the genetic aspect. The Wanderlust gene, also known as DRD4-7R affects levels of dopamine produced in the brain, which causes humans to seek out uniquely new moments. It pushes us to go outside of our comfort zones, to see things our eyes have yet to see. A lot of the subject matter throughout the record is geared towards the need for exploration, not just the desire to seek out new destinations, but to explore the human condition itself. We’re extremely fragile creatures; we are prone to wear the brunt of disappointment, loss, tragedy, heartache and love. Wanderlust has pushed us to gain a better understanding of this. It’s created a restlessness that can only be fulfilled with human connection. The band and the music provides a vehicle for that.
After years in the scene, you’ve shared stages with everyone from punk legends to folk icons. How do you think those live experiences have influenced what Dear Wanderlust became?
The big takeaway from playing with bands that are more established is always professionalism. We’ve toured with some amazing bands that are well oiled machines in terms of how they carry themselves, how they perform and how they make themselves accessible to their fans. It’s a very humbling thing to witness. We’ve watched bands like the Dropkick Murphys stay around after putting on a blistering hour and a half set and talk, take pictures, sign autographs for almost every fan until the room was virtually empty. In all honesty, it made us feel good about what we were doing. We aren’t rockstars, in fact, we despise most aspects of that kind of lavishness. We’re just a group of friends that love playing music and connecting with people. Bands like the Murphys help us to know we’re doing things right.
Hoist the Colors has always blended folk and bluegrass with punk energy. Do you feel Dear Wanderlust leans harder toward one side of that sound, or does it strike a new balance?
I feel our previous records leaned one way or another. A lot of that was us experimenting, trying to find our sound. I think we finally did with the new album. The songwriting went smoothly and piecing everything together became easier. We found the blend we were searching for.
Folk-punk often speaks to resilience, roots, and rebellion. What themes do you think listeners will take away most strongly from this new record?
I think the major themes touch on resistance, but not in the conventional way. Most of these songs are about resisting the urge to forget the humanity in everyone which is something we are undeniably suffering from in this current climate. We don’t think of others as people anymore. They are different, they are the enemy, they are the other side. We are all trying to survive, trying to find our place and carve out a small sense of peace in some of the most tumultuous times we’ve ever experienced. I hope that if anyone takes anything away from this record, It would be thoughtfulness.
There’s a real sense of place in your music; the grit, the hope, the working-class soul of Southern California. How has LA itself shaped the way you write and sound?
We’d like to think we took a piece from every place we’ve been to, but obviously our hometown has influenced us greatly, especially the bands from here. The city itself can eat you alive. There’s a ton of people, it’s almost impossible to buy a home, homelessness is rampant. I think it’s made us hard workers and better equipped to deal with setbacks. The city has given us resolve.
If you could send one message to the restless souls and wanderers who’ll hear Dear Wanderlust for the first time, what would you want them to feel or remember?
If I could send one message to the restless souls, it would be to keep searching. In the immortal words of Justin Townes Earle, keep on wanderin.
We’ve all got a few. What are your biggest regrets: A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
Not many regrets. I think I would’ve taken more time structuring our previous records, but that’s only hindsight.
Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
Some of my favorite bands are labelmates. Empired, Heartwells and Stoke Signals absolutely rip. There are some great Bay Area bands as well. United Defiance, The Lucky Eejits and Knocked Down are all great. Too Bad Eugene from Santa Cruz is awesome as well. Every band I just mentioned aren’t just great musicians, they’re great people as well.
What’s next for Hoist The Colors?
Our record release show is on November 1st at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach. We have a few more shows this year and are planning tours for 2026. We have Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise next October as well.
Was there anything we missed or that you’d like to put more focus on?
Thanks for talking with us. We very much appreciate it.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/