Warren Commission on Trust, Tension, and the Art of Making a Song

Bhavana Hari

Rap/Hip-Hop Journalist

For Warren Commission, making music is not always about getting everything right on the first try.  The best ideas begin as late-night experiments or sounds that only make sense once they’ve been rebuilt over and over again. For co-founders Tanay Kunta and Evan Lawrence, that process has become central to the way they approach songwriting. Warren Commission draws from the moody guitar work of the early 2000s New York indie rock while incorporating the heavier edge of alternative and desert rock. Their main influences include Interpol, The Strokes, and Queens of the Stone Age. This helped establish the duo’s musical foundation, but their creative identity comes from the decisions they make together. During my conversation with the band, I wanted to understand how musicians turn unfinished ideas into something that feels complete. For Warren Commission, the answers often came back to one thing: learning to trust the process.

Making something out of what you have

When I asked Kunta and Lawrence to describe Pittsburgh to someone who had never visited, the conversation turned towards the city’s industrial character. Pittsburgh is not necessarily the first place people associate with a bright, sun-soaked image of indie music, but its rougher edges can become a part of an artist’s identity, especially when making rock/alternative music. Their discussion suggested that a creative environment does not have to be polished to be inspiring. Sometimes, an imperfect room or unusual setting can help ideas develop in ways that a more controlled environment might not. That philosophy extends to how they record. . The band’s approach is less about waiting for the perfect conditions and more about making something out of what’s already provided. As they explained when discussing the recording process, “We want to do something that still feels like a band is in a room.” That desire for a more immediate, personal sound offers a glimpse into how Warren Commission approaches recording rather than allowing technology or endless polishing to take over. 

The pressure behind the music

Our conversation also moved beyond instruments and recording spaces and into what the pressure to succeed looks like when family expectations become a part of the picture. The discussion touched on how ambition became complicated when something personal starts to feel like an obligation. That tension is especially relevant for musicians, whose work is often measured through visible milestones. Releases, audiences, attention, and career opportunities can contribute to the added stigma of always coming out with the most perfect project. But the creative process itself is less predictable; success does not always arrive on the schedule of someone’s imagined timeline. For the duo, the purpose of making music extends beyond simply releasing another track. 

Taking “Like, I’m Driving” Apart

One of the most personal parts of our conversation centered on the song “Like I’m Driving.” This has been one of my favorite songs since late 2024, so I was looking forward to better understanding the creative process behind the song. Kunta and Lawrence collaborative process often begins with a rough demo, which provides an initial feeling or idea before the arrangement is fully formed. One member brings an idea forward, and the other listens for what makes it worth developing. Rather than treating the original demo as a finished product, they use it as a starting point. A baseline or rhythm might be the element that makes an early version special, even if the rest of the song changes substantially. 

That led to another question: how do they decide what to keep and what to change? The answer comes down to recognizing the part of an idea that gives it life. Rearranging a song does not necessarily mean abandoning its original identity. Sometimes, changing everything around one strong element is what allows that song to stand out. 

The process also requires flexibility. I asked whether they divide instruments according to their usual roles or whether those responsibilities change from song to song. Their approach prioritizes what the music needs, even when that means trading parts or approaching an arrangement differently than expected. For a duo working so closely together, flexibility depends on trust. Both musicians need to be willing to hear another perspective instead of becoming attached to the first version of an idea.

The problem with perfection

Trust becomes especially important when perfectionism enters the picture. During our conversation, I asked how the pair works through a song when they become stuck or begin overthinking their decisions. Sometimes it’s figuring out what the song needs in order to improve or differentiating between whether the artist themselves is just listening to the song too much. 

The band acknowledges that perfectionism can become a problem, describing themselves as people who can take that tendency too far: “We are both perfectionists, for sure, and to a bad degree.” That feeling is familiar to anyone who has spent too long revising something they care about. Repeated listening can make familiar details seem wrong, even when they worked perfectly well before. Stepping away provides distance, allowing them to return with a clearer sense of what the song needs. For Warren Commission, that means balancing two instincts: the desire to keep refining an idea and the willingness to accept that it may already be finished. Perfectionism can push a song forward, but it can also prevent musicians from recognizing when additional changes are no longer helping.

 Influences without losing their identity

When I asked about the artists who have shaped their sound, the conversation included Interpol, Queens of the Stone Age, The Strokes, Marvin Gaye, and John Prine. The range reflects an interest in music that crosses stylistic boundaries from atmospheric indie rock to heavier guitars and older songwriting traditions. Nine Inch Nails was also mentioned as an inspiration for their upcoming album, which experiments with a more edgy sound. 

But having influences does not necessarily mean following trends. When I asked how they stay genuine in a music landscape, the discussion extended beyond the songs themselves to the way the Warren Commission presents their work. The duo takes a deliberate approach to visuals and music videos, making choices that fit their identity.

 A darker direction ahead

Toward the end of our conversation, I asked what Warren Commission is working on now. The duo discussed an upcoming eight-song album expected in early 2027. They described a project intended to explore a darker and more developed direction than their earlier releases. The new material is expected to build on ideas introduced through the band’s four-song EP, giving those ideas more room to grow. As they described the direction of a new project, the idea was “a deeper, more thorough version of it.” When asked why they’re selective about what they share online, they responded by saying, “Unless we have something to say, there’s no point in saying it.” In an environment where artists are often encouraged to post constantly to maintain attention, Warren Commission takes a more measured approach. The band does not want online visibility to become the purpose of the project: they want what they share to have a reason behind it. 

When I asked what part of the musical journey people do not discuss enough, the conversation returned to the work behind the finished project. Recording music involves hours of decisions, revisions, and experimentation that audiences never see. The duo wants to contribute to an art form that has already given so much to them. 

 Trusting the process

By the end of the interview, what stood out to me was how much Warren Commission’s approach depends on knowing when to keep pushing and when to let go. Something that also surprised me is how grounded and honest their process was as songwriters and musicians. Kunta and Lawrence build songs through experimentation, but they also rely on the trust required to challenge each other’s ideas without losing sight of what made a song special in the first place. The balance could define the duo’s next album. With eight songs in development and a darker direction taking shape, Warren Commission is building on their earlier work while allowing their sound to evolve. Their goal is not necessarily to eliminate every rough edge and follow trends. It is to understand which imperfections belong, which ideas need more work, and when a song has finally become what it has meant to be while staying true to the artist’s tone.